Fairy Godmother
by dorknhime
Summary: Santana Lopez was dead and stuck in a place called Junction where she needs to do some good deeds so that she can be sent to Heaven. Her task was to help a sweet girl, Mercedes finding her true love. Will Santana succeed or all the obstacles managed to stop Mercedes from getting her true happiness? Inspired by a novel called wishes written by Jude Deveraux
1. Chapter 1: The Dinner

This story is loosely based on Jude Deveraux's novel - Wishes.

I do not own the original novel nor do I own Glee.

* * *

Santana woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. She got up and got down from the steel bed that she usually saw in crime series whenever she accompanied her husband watching television. She looked around and noticed that she was in unknown territory. The space that she was in had three doors at the corner. There was fog everywhere liked the one that singers usually had on the stage. The fog covered the floor. She saw a tall man was sitting behind a golden table. Without wasting any time, she hastened her steps toward the man.

"Where am I?!" she asked. Politeness never had been found in Santana Lopez's dictionary. The tall man looked at her with a small smile.

"Welcome to the Junction" he said. Santana frowned.

"It is a place where the soul stops to be evaluated to determine either it will go to hell or heaven"

Santana was confused with the explanation.

"Heaven? Hell?" she stared at the tall man. A realization hit her – _hard_. She looked at herself. She was wearing the latest Chanel dress that she had just bought. She looked at the tall man who was now back to writing in his book.

"Am I dead?" she looked at him. "It can't be! I was on my way to meet my friends for a ladies night!" she screamed. The tall man let out a small sigh and clicked his fingers. A moment later, the fog gathered and an Asian woman appeared from it. She looked at the tall man.

"Disbelieve" he said and back to his writing. She nodded curtly and then beaming at Santana as she walked toward her.

"Santana Lopez. Nice to meet you. I am Tina Cohen – Chang. I will be your guardian"

"I don't understand what the hell you are babbling about! I'm not dead! I don't know where did you guys bring me and I demand for you to send me back! This place is creepy as hell!" Santana yelled. Tina smiled.

"Believe me. You don't want to know how horrible hell is" she mumbled. Tina took her hand and pulled her closer to a white wall. Then, she waved her hand toward it. A fog appeared and soon the wall had turned to be a big screen. Santana frowned when it showed a funeral. She gasped when she saw the dead body in the coffin was actually her. She looked at the people who were there. None of them were crying for her death. She smirked when she noticed the annoyed face of one Rachel Barbra Berry when she saw the dress that the dead Santana was wearing. Rachel must be irritated because Santana had worn the dress first before she managed to show off the newest Chanel design to their friends. _Rachel Berry, I could stay outdone you – even if I was laying in a coffin_, Santana thought with a cheeky smile.

"Okay. I got it. I'm dead" she said as she turned to look at Tina. "So, why am I still here? What took the Franketeen so long to judge me?"

"He's done with evaluation" Tina said, smiling. "But there is a reason why you are still here"

Santana frowned again. She groaned. With all the frowning that she had done, she sure that the wrinkles that she had paid to be removed would reappear.

"Come on, Asian girl! All these frowns will make the wrinkles come back! I spent lots of money in making all of them disappeared and I don't want to come back and ruin my pretty face again"

"The reason why you are still here is because your good deeds and bad deeds are equal. You could _neither_ go to heaven nor hell. Follow me"

Without too much hassle, Santana followed Tina into the door that had Limbo written on it.

"So, you are here – in the Limbo. You'll be here until you had done enough deeds to make you qualify to get into heaven"

Santana looked around the room. There were doors around and all of the doors had something written on them. She saw women walking around in white tunic – the same as the one that Tina was wearing. They seemed to come out from any of the doors and then went into some other doors. Santana looked at the words on the doors. There was Women's Harem, Fantasy, Mesopotamia, Beach party, Disco and other names.

"All of these doors will lead you to the place as written on them. Personally, I like the Fantasy door because I love to picture myself as a fighter, fighting with dragons or rescuing some prince" Tina explained when she noticed the curiosity on Santana's face.

"Do you want to try?" Tina asked. Santana grinned. She immediately walked into the Women's Harem's door. As soon as she stepped into it, she was greeted by lots of half naked women. Each of them was pretty with lovely bodies. The women pulled her and brought her toward the Queen Size bed in the middle of the room and asked her to relax and lie down. One of them began to take the fruit plates and fed her some fruits. She was fooling around with her harem when Tina appeared out of nowhere. She pulled her away from the women and out of the room despite Santana's protest.

"I was there for like ten minutes! Can't you give me some more times before pulling me away?" Santana spat angrily.

"You need to remember that Limbo is different from the world. Your ten minutes in there equal to 10 years in the real world. I need to give you your assignment as soon as possible" Tina said as she led her to a secluded room. Santana noticed that the room was white. There was a red sofa in the middle of it. Tina gestured for her to sit in it. Reluctantly, she complied and stared at Tina expectantly.

"What the hell should I do? What is the assignment?"

Tina said nothing. She waved at the white wall in front of Santana and liked previously, a big screen appeared out of nowhere. It showed a house and then the screen showed a young woman who was cooking in the kitchen.

"This is Mercedes Jones" Tina introduced.

"God, she's fat! How much did she weight? 300 pounds?" Santana said spitefully.

"200 pounds actually" Tina answered. Then, they saw another woman walked into the living room, screaming for Mercedes.

"Now, that's a beauty" Santana said, adoring the figure of the young woman who was talking to Mercedes.

"That is Irene. Mercedes' younger sister"

* * *

_**19**__**th**__** Century. Lima, Ohio.**_

Irene walked into the living room, yelling for Mercedes. Mercedes who was cooking dinner quickly wiped her hands and rushed to get her sister.

"What took you so long?" Irene huffed.

"I was cooking for dinner. You do remember that daddy had invited a guest for dinner, right?"

Irene nodded. Their father had invited Mr. Evans – a man who had helped him when he was being attacked when he was on a business trip to Cincinnati last week.

"Why are you still wearing your house's dress? You need to change for a better dress" Mercedes when she noticed that Irene was still clad in the old dress that she usually wore when she was in the house and not going anywhere.

"That's why I called you. I can't decide which dress I want to wear" Irene said, rolling her eyes. Mercedes immediately followed her sister into her room. She shook her head when she saw the condition of the room. Dresses were thrown everywhere and Irene didn't even bother to pick them up. Instead, she just kicked the dresses away as she walked toward her closet. Mercedes bent down and gathered the dresses before carefully put them back into the closet. Irene sat on her bed. Hands were brought to her chest.

"I need a new dress! The one that I have were old and out of style!" she huffed. Mercedes took out a blue dress and showed it to Irene.

"How about this one? It's nice" she said as she admired the dress dreamily. Irene who saw the way she was eyeing her dress quickly jumped out of her bed and opened the drawer of her dresser. She took out a packet of chocolate that she had bought earlier.

"That's perfect. Here! I have a present for you" she said –handing the chocolate to Mercedes. Mercedes put the dress on the bed and took the packet of chocolate.

"I don't know why daddy was so fussy about this man. He kept on telling me to dress properly and all – as if he wants me to marry him! I feel bad for you, Mercedes. You should be the one to marry and live the house, not me" Irene fussed as she sat back on her bed. Suddenly, Mercedes felt hungry. She took the two chocolates from the packet that Irene had given to her and put them into her mouth.

"I mean – you're older than me. You should marry first. I don't understand why men don't see you"

"That's because I am not beautiful like you" Mercedes said, smiling at her sister. She hugged Irene and told her to rest.

"I'll call you once dinner ready" she said. Irene nodded. She laid down on her bed. She took the novel that she had been reading before. She decided to just wear the dress that she had been wearing. There's no need to dress up for their guest. She concluded that Mr. Evans was an old man because her father had told her that the man was a widower.

* * *

Santana stopped paying attention to the screen and was looking at Tina.

"So, that's it? You want me to be a fairy godmother?" she asked.

"Well, it could be called fairy godmother. Your duty is to help Mercedes"

"What? I have to help that fat bitch, not her beautiful sister, Irene? Why? Why should I help her? From the scenes just now, the one that needs help was Irene! The girl doesn't have a dress to wear. A real woman needs to look good all the time and she needs new dress"

"Are you sure?" Tina asked skeptically. Santana nodded firmly.

"I knew the woman likes her fat sister. My sister is fat and always jealous of me. So, I understand Irene's feeling. Besides, she must be embarrassed to have a big fat sister likes that!"

"Believe me. Mercedes is not like that. Don't you see how her sister treats her?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "I knew people like her. I am very sure that she is jealous of Irene and her beauty. So, what should I do? Do I need to give her some wish or something?" she asked. She was itching to try the Fantasy Room.

"You need to guide her and I think giving her a wish is good too. But you can only give her three wishes and the effect cannot be reversed"

Santana nodded nonchalantly. "Dear Mercedes, I give you three wishes. Let's hope that you use it well" she said and clicked her fingers. Satisfied, she immediately left the whiter room and headed to the Fantasy Room.

* * *

Mercedes was surprised when the maid, Kitty told her that Mr. Evans had arrived. She glanced at the clock and realized that he was an hour early. She told Kitty to take out the lambs from the oven and went to greet Mr. Evans. She saw him standing in the middle of the living room, staring at the window. Judging from his broad back she knew that Mr. Evans wasn't old like Irene had assumed.

"Mr. Evans?" she asked timidly. Sam turned around when he heard her voice. He was stunned when he saw her standing across him.

"I'm sorry for coming so early. I was nearby and decided to just come here instead of waiting for the time that was promised" he said. Mercedes smiled. She stared into his green eyes and noticed the loneliness that was hidden in it. The same loneliness that she felt every day.

"It's okay. Just make yourself at home. I was in the middle of preparing dinner"

"Let me help you – urm -,"

"Mercedes" she said when she noticed that she hadn't introduced her name yet.

"Mercedes. Let me help you" he said, smiling. Mercedes was about to refuse his help but Sam was quick. "Besides, it is awkward to just sit here by myself" he said. Realizing that Sam had a point, Mercedes led him to the backyard.

"You have a beautiful garden" he praised as he took in the beautiful scenery in front of him. Mercedes smiled as she sat on the bench and began peeling the beans. Noticing what she was doing, Sam settled himself beside her and helped her with the beans. Both of them were talking and laughing as they finished peeling the beans. Sam was totally intrigued by the woman who was sitting beside him. He loved talking to her. She made him relax and free. It's been quite a while since he totally felt free and laughed himself out as he did with her, ever since the death of his wife.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your wife? My dad told me that you are a widower"

His hands movement stopped as he looked at her. Sam swallowed the lump in his throat. He had never spoken about his wife after her death. The wound was too raw no matter how long time had passed but staring into the doe-like eyes in front of him, he had the urge to tell her everything, answering her every question.

"She died while giving birth to our child. She lost lots of blood and unfortunately, both the baby and she died that day. It was a premature birth"

Mercedes noticed the tears in his eyes. Slowly, she reached for his hand and patted it. They stared into each other eyes and slowly, they leaned toward each other as if there was an invisible thread pulling them closer. Their lips were about to meet when she heard his father's voice calling for her. They quickly put a distance between them.

"I'm in the garden, father!" Mercedes said. She immediately stood and Sam followed suit – quietly standing beside her. His heart was beating frantically inside his chest and he could feel his adrenaline rushing because of what happened earlier. He noticed Mercedes was nervously playing with her fingers and he knew that she was feeling whatever he was feeling at the moment.

* * *

"Mercedes, have you prepared everything for dinner tonight?" Dwayne Jones asked as he walked out of the backdoor. He was surprised when he saw Sam was standing with his daughter.

"Mr. Evans! I thought the dinner is at eight" he exclaimed. Sam stepped forward and shook his hand.

"It is. But I had something to do nearby and decided to come here early" he said with a smile. Dwayne invited Sam to the living room for a chat. He turn mid-track and looked at his eldest daughter.

"Make sure everything is perfect for dinner, Mercedes" he said.

"Yes, father"

Sam stole a look at Mercedes as he mindlessly listened to Dwayne.

* * *

Mercedes stood in the kitchen. Her heartbeat was finally going back to normal. Her face felt hot as she remembered what had happened in the garden. It was her first experience – being in a close proximity with a guy. She admitted that Mr. Evans was attractive and he was the most handsome guy that she had met – granted that she hadn't met lots of men. Men never interested with her. That was more of Irene's territory. Her sister was beautiful. Unlike her, Irene was thin and she has beautiful figure. Guys always knocked on their door, voicing their interest in her. The whole town admired Irene and her beauty. Without a doubt, Mercedes was sure that Mr. Evans would be captivated with Irene's beauty too when he saw her during dinner. Mercedes knew that and she was glad that whatever supposed to happen in the garden was stopped before it happened. That way, she won't be disappointed when Mr. Evans' attention fell on Irene when he saw her. He won't be interested in an old maid like her. Then, Mercedes suddenly felt hungry. She reached for the apple pie that her father had specifically told her to bake for the dinner and ate everything. Realizing what she had done, she quickly for her Kitty.

"What?" she asked as she looked at Mercedes with bored expression. Then, she saw the empty pie plate.

"You ate the whole pie?!" she said, looking at Mercedes. Mercedes grabbed some money and gave it to Kitty.

"I need you to go to the bakery and buy whatever dessert that they have!"

"But your father specifically asked for apple pie!" Kitty bellowed.

"I know! But there's nothing that we can do about it. Go to the bakery and get whatever that they have for tonight's dessert!" Mercedes said, exasperated. Why can't Kitty be a good servant and just did everything that she was told to do? She watched as Kitty stomped her feet as she walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

Irene put away the novel that she was reading when she heard Mercedes calling her for dinner. She looked at her appearance on the mirror and just shrugged. Her father had instructed her to wear something beautiful and new but she was too absorbed in her novel that she didn't have enough time to get ready and changed her dress. Irene decided to stick with her 'home dress' considering that the guest was an old widower that she sure didn't want to make an impact on. To her surprised, Samuel Evans was definitely a hunk and he was extremely attractive. Irene definitely regretted her decision to stick with her day dress once she saw him. She could clearly see the disapproval look that her father shot her.

"Mr. Evans, let me introduce you to my wonderful daughter, Irene" Dwayne said as he gestured for Irene to come closer.

"Please to meet you" Irene politely said. Her eyes raked over his body and at the moment, she was sure that the man in front of her was the finest man that she had ever seen. She extended her hand for him to kiss but instead of doing so, Sam settled for a curt handshake.

"Dinner's ready" Mercedes said as she emerged from the kitchen. Sam couldn't help but smiled at her. Dwayne led them to the dining room and everybody settled around the table. Dwayne retold the story of how Sam saved his life and they talked about business.

"This is delicious. You're a great cook, Ms. Jones" Sam said as he looked at Mercedes who was sitting beside Irene who sat across him.

"Thank you, Mr. Evans"

Kitty brought the dessert and Mercedes noticed the look on her father's face once he noticed that it was a pecan pie instead of the specifically asked apple pie.

"I thought I told you to bake an apple pie?" he asked. Mercedes said nothing. She just looked down at her now empty plate.

"God, Mercedes! Did you eat all the dessert again?" Irene piped in.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled in a low voice but it reached Sam's ears.

"Oh, Mr. Evans, we are so sorry. You know, Mercedes is sick. She cannot control her appetite. She cannot stop eating and that's why she is so big" Irene said in a sweet tone. Sam said nothing. He looked at Mercedes and noticed a tear falling on her cheek.

"It's okay. Besides, I love pecan pie" he said, trying to bring back the table's atmosphere to normal.

* * *

The dinner was quite okay, in Sam's opinion. He knew that Dwayne wanted to recruit him to work in his company. True, he did save the man's life when he had been mugged in Colorado but he also knew the reason he so adamant in wanting Sam to work for him because of his family's fortune. The whole time they had been together, Dwayne kept on talking and praising about his beautiful daughter and truth was, Sam was intrigued with the entire wonderful story that he had told him. His wife had been gone for a year and he started to feel that he needed someone to fill the hole in his heart that Holly had caused after her death. That was the reason he went to Jones' resident earlier than the promised time. When he saw Mercedes, he was mesmerized by her. However, when Irene appeared, he realized that Dwayne wasn't talking about his eldest daughter but his youngest. Then, the 'dessert incident' happened and he noticed how they treat Mercedes. Sam could clearly see the facade that Irene wore. Truth was, he couldn't even see all the great thing that Dwayne was bragging about Irene.

However, Mercedes was a different story. He knew that he was truly fascinated with her. He couldn't help but smile every time he thought about her. Despite the short time that they spent in her garden, he knew that he started to fall in love with her. The whole time they spent, talking to each other, he could feel that his loneliness was gone.

"Someone seems happy"

Sam smiled wider when he saw his cousin's wife; Quinn was looking at him with a smile on her face.

"Ah, that's a smile that I haven't seen for a long time" she said as she sat on the bench in her garden. Sam watched as her youngest son, Aidan came to her. Quinn Fabray-Abrams, a true Southern belle and one of the most beautiful women that he had ever seen. He always thought that Artie, his cousin was very lucky to have her as a wife. Quinn was clever and quick witted. Being raised as a proper lady and managed to capture the heart of the richest bachelor in Lima made people either looked at her in admiration or envy.

"Hey, Sam! Where have you been?" Artie appeared from the house.

"I was invited for dinner by Dwayne Jones" he explained. Artie nodded. He felt quite happy that his cousin had managed to socialize with other people. Ever since Sam got into Lima, all he ever did was walking around the town aimlessly and spending most of his time cooped up in his hotel room or playing with Artie's sons. It was nice to know that he somehow had managed to interact with other people.

"I bet the dinner had something to do with the wide smile that you were sporting, huh?" Quinn teased. Sam couldn't help but smiling sheepishly. He nodded a little, admitting the truth of Quinn's wild guess.

"Do you know Mercedes Jones, Quinn?" Sam asked. Quinn smiled wider as she nodded.

"Mercedes is a lovely lady. A very sweet one, I must say and she is very beautiful. The men are crazy about her younger sister, Irene. I don't understand what they saw in that selfish, rude and snobbish girl" Quinn said.

Artie stared at his cousin. "Wait – you're interested in Mercedes? But isn't she -,"

"Oh, shut up, Artie. Mercedes is not fat. She just a bigger than the society standard. Sammy here is a great guy because unlike all men in the town, he sees the true beauty in that Jones' house. I don't understand why Dwayne Jones lets Mercedes coops up in that house!" Quinn ranted.

"If it okay with you, I would like to invite her to the Harvest Ball"

Quinn smiled wider as she beamed at Sam.

"It's great! I'll send the invitation tomorrow. We didn't send any invitation to the Jones because of the fiasco that Irene had caused two years ago but I'll make an exception for Mercedes. Would you like to hand-deliver the invitation personally?"

"Sure" Sam said, smiling widely.

* * *

I kept on thinking about writing a Samcedes version of this story ever since I read the novel last year.

So, yay or nay?

Thank you for reading!

xoxo,

Awa


	2. Chapter 2: The Invitation

I've edited some details in the first chapter, in case you've noticed some unparalleled information in this chapter.

There are some dialogues and phrases taken from the original novel in this chapter.

I do not own Glee or the novel Wishes by Jude Deveraux.

* * *

After finished cleaned up the dinner table, Mercedes sat in the kitchen, thinking about what had happened. She knew that her family was disappointed with her. They kept on telling her to stop eating all the desserts but there's nothing that she could do to control her appetite. She and her father had countless talks in his study regarding her eating behavior.

"_You need to control yourself, Mercedes! This is the reason why Irene and I refuse to bring you to any events. We are afraid if one of your attacks will come and you'll eat all the pies or the desserts that are served" Dwayne once said to her._ She let out a sighed as she stared at the empty plate.

"Mercedes?"

The voice startled her. She quickly turned around and she was greeted by the sight of Mr. Evans, smiling at her.

"Oh, Mr. Evans! You scared me. What are you doing here? Do you want to meet Irene? I -,"

"No! I actually had left but come back again" Sam said, smiling. Mercedes seemed surprised by it.

"Oh! What can I help you with?"

"Dinner was delicious" Sam said, still smiling. Mercedes smiled at him.

"Thank you"

"Would you mind sitting with me?" Sam asked. He went to sit on the bench in the garden that they had occupied in the evening before. Few seconds after that, Mercedes joined him and Sam smiled wider.

"Mr. Evans?" she called when he had been quiet for a while.

"Sam"

"Sorry?"

"It's Sam. My name is Sam"

"I can't call you by your first name. It's rude" she said. Sam was thinking about something and decided to let it go.

"What did people do in Lima? Any interesting activity?" he asked.

"There's nothing much, really; the church activity, the park and the occasional riding. Lima is a small town. Irene knows everyone. Maybe you can ask her for help if you want to do some activities. I'm sure she'll be happy to help" Mercedes said.

"Come with me to the Abrams' Harvest Ball that will happen in two weeks" he said.

"Abrams? Which Abrams?" she asked. Of course she knew the Abrams. They were the richest family in Lima and one of the richest families in America. They lived in the white mansion on the hill – the largest mansion in the Ohio.

"Artie and Quinn Abrams" Sam stated as if the couple was the only Abrams in town. Mercedes knew them. She had met Quinn a few times when she was helping with the charity works at church. Quinn Abrams was definitely the most beautiful woman in Lima. She was elegant and charming. She always threw parties for her friends and the Harvest Ball was the grand party that the Abrams hosted once a year. Two years ago, Irene and she were invited to the ball. Irene had gone to it but Mercedes didn't. Then, last year, to Irene's horror, the invitation didn't come for her and apparently, the same happened this year too.

"Why don't you ask Irene? I'm sure she'll be delighted -,"

"Mercedes, it is _you_ who I asked to go with me, _not_ your sister" Sam cut her mid-sentenced. Mercedes looked at him with confusion.

"Mr. Evans, I – I can't -,"

"I'll take the job offer if you'll go with me to the Harvest Ball and call me Sam"

Mercedes knew about the job that her father had offered to Sam. She also knew that he needed someone to him with his freight company. She let out a sigh as she thought about it.

"Fine! I'll go with you. But I don't have anything -,"

Her words were cut short when Sam hugged her and then left her dumbfounded. She was reeling in the feeling of being hugged by him when Irene appeared.

* * *

"There you are, Mercedes! Kitty is destroying the kitchen and father asked you to check on her. I need you to unlace my dress. The house is chaotic and here you are – daydreaming. Sometimes, I think that you do not care about anybody else but yourself" she said.

"I'll go check on Kitty and then I'll help you with your dress" Mercedes said in a low tone. Irene huffed and went inside the house.

After settling Kitty and the kitchen's destruction, Mercedes went to help Irene with her dress. She was tired and all she wanted to do was take a bath and sleep.

"Don't you think he's amazing?" Irene said out of blue. She's been talking about some guys and Mercedes didn't really pay her any attention because she was so tired.

"Um – yeah, Dr. Chang is amazing" she said absent-minded. It was the truth. Dr. Michael Chang was one of the good men in Lima. He got the looks and he was kind. Irene rolled her eyes.

"_No_, I was talking about Mr. Evans. He is the most handsome man that I've ever seen. He's gorgeous and did you notice the way he looked at _me_ during dinner? I'm sure that he is interested in me" It was the truth. She noticed that Sam had looked at her differently than any of the guys in Lima had looked at her. There's something that she couldn't decipher in his stares. He was a challenge to conquer and Irene won't stop till she got him. Irene kept on chattering about Mr. Evans. She noticed that Mercedes was quiet as she hung her dress. As she was ready to leave her room, Irene reached for her sister's hand.

"I'm sorry for what happened during dinner. Father shouldn't reprimand you like he did but you need to control yourself, Mercedes" she said. Irene reached in her drawer and took out some caramels candy. "It's a present for you. Hope it'll make you feel better" she said. Mercedes smiled as she took the candy. That night, she ate the entire bag of caramels candy before going to sleep.

* * *

Quinn was surprised to see Sam so early in the morning. She invited him for breakfast and then they went to the garden. She noticed the smile that never left his face.

"I am guessing that you had invited Mercedes to the ball?" Quinn said. Sam nodded.

"I don't really know about these whole ladies' stuffs but I do believe that Mercedes doesn't have anything to wear. So, could -,"

"Say no more, Sam. How do you think she'll look in satin and pearls?" Quinn asked with a wide smile.

"I think she'll look great in anything" he said.

"I'll take care of it. Just leave it to me"

Sam hugged Quinn while thanking her profusely. He then left her since he had to go to work in Jones' Freight Company.

* * *

Mercedes was nervous. In the two days after Mr. Evans' visit, she had done everything to make up for the 'embarrassment' that she had caused her family. She cooked delicious dish for them which she had eaten the least and she doubled her effort in cleaning. She and Kitty had taken down the front parlor's curtains, hauled them in the backyard and spent hours beating the dust out of them. In the evening, despite the tiredness, she stayed up late embroidering jacket she wanted to give to Irene for Christmas. She hoped that if she was good enough, her family would forgive her for embarrassing them in front of a guest.

She was currently rolling out dough for making an apple pie for dinner – her father's favorite. She had even prepared a standing rib roast and everything was ready for dinner. All she needed was to put everything in the oven. Mercedes was too absorbed in making the pie that she jumped when someone knocked the frame of the back door. The door was open because with the stove running, the kitchen was hot.

"I knocked at the front door but nobody answered it" Sam said, smiling as he looked at her. He was clutching a large bouquet of red roses.

"I'm so sorry" Mercedes said, putting her rolling pin down and wiping some of the dough from her arms. "Kitty was supposed to be dusting -," she trailed off when she remembered her father's warning about sprouting family business to strangers. Mercedes looked at the flowers in his hand.

"Oh, did you come here to see Irene? You just missed her. She had -,"

"I'm here to see you, Mercedes" Sam said, smiling as he handed the roses to her. "For you" he said. Mercedes was hesitated to receive the flowers.

"What's wrong? Don't you like roses? If you don't like it, I can get other flowers for you. What your other beaux always get you?"

Sam started to worry. He was sure that rose was her favorite flower because he could see many roses in her garden but maybe he was wrong to assume.

"No, I like roses" she said as she took the flowers. She liked the flowers but it was the first time someone had ever given her flowers. The flowers that they receive were always for Irene and to be honest, it was a weird feeling receiving flowers that were meant for _her_. "And I don't have a male friends" she said without looking at him. Sam stepped into the kitchen and walked to the table. He reached for an apple slice in the bowl and put it into his mouth.

"Glad to know it" he said, beaming at her. Mercedes stood in her place and watched Sam who was sitting at the edge of the table – eating the apples. Somehow, she couldn't move and her eyes were spellbound on him.

"Don't you want to put them in vase or something?" Sam asked, still munching the apple. The question shook her out of her reverie. She immediately reached for a vase and put the roses in it. She took time, rearranging the flowers so that she could clear her head. Once she had regained her composure and being calm again, she turned to look at Sam and gave him a smile.

"Thank you for the flowers, Mr. Evans. But I'm afraid Irene won't be back -,"

"Take a walk with me" Sam cut her mid-sentenced.

"Walk? You mean walk to where Irene is? I am sure -,"

"I don't want to meet your little sister. I want _you_ to walk with me" he said, staring into her eyes. She could clearly see the beautiful emerald eyes that seemed to haunt her dreams lately.

"I can't. I have so many things to do. I have to put the roast in the oven. I need to finish making the pie and then there are other chores to take care of"

"One hour. That's all I ask" he said.

"It's not possible" Mercedes said. She was backing off from Sam. She didn't care how he looked at her. He was making her feel uncomfortable.

"I have too much work to do" she continued.

"Thirty minutes then. Thirty minutes of your time – to help a new stranger in town and introduce me to people"

"I don't know many people in town!" she said quickly. "I have to finish my pie. I have so -,"

"An apple pie?" Sam asked.

"Yes. It's for dinner. My father loves apple pie and -,"

"How can you make an apple pie without apples?" Sam asked, looking at the now empty bowl. Mercedes gasped as she looked at him and then at the empty bowl.

"Mr. Evans!" she chided, sounding like a school teacher. "You've eaten the entire pie!"

Sam gave her a crook smile. "Not a difficult thing for someone to do" he said playfully. She looked at him and knew that he was referring to her '_incident_' during the dinner few days ago. Blood rushed to her face as she remembered her shame but when she looked at him, she saw the twinkle in his eyes and knew that he was _teasing_ her. The embarrassment fled away and a smile graced her face.

"It seemed easy for _me_ to do" she said, laughing. Sam was definitely fascinated when he saw her laughing.

"Now, what should I serve for dinner? I don't have any apples left"

His eyes were twinkling. "I guess you can walk to the store and buy some apples"

"So it seems"

"Maybe I can accompany you to the store, just in case of _danger_"

"Perhaps you should. The streets of Lima are dangerous. Why, just last year two kids bumped into each other while riding _bicycles_"

"No! That's _horrifying_!" Sam said, clutching his heart. "Who knows when something like that will happen again? I should escort you to the store – to make sure that you're safe!"

"I think so too" Mercedes said slowly. Part of her mind was telling her no – that she should stay at home and finished cooking. She should dismiss this overly familiar man and carried on with her chores. The way he just casually sauntered himself into her kitchen wasn't proper but another part of her was urging for her to go with him. Something told her that walking along the street with this amazing man and saying hello to the town people would be pleasant. Perhaps, for one day, she could pretend that she was one of the girls and not a fat old maid. For a day, she _wished_ to be like one of those girls that guys seemed to pay attention to.

* * *

Mercedes took off her apron and hung it on the hook. She was thinking that she should go and take her hat or might change her dress for a better one but she was afraid that if she did do it, Sam might left her and everything that happened in the last few minutes was merely a dream. She didn't have Irene's confident that even if she let a man waited for an hour, he would stay be there when Irene was ready.

"I'm ready" she said as she turned to look at him. Sam smiled and let her walked through the door first. He was very happy that she didn't take a long time getting ready. He knew from his experience that a beautiful woman liked Mercedes took so much time to get ready and he was ecstatic that she was different. He watched as Mercedes walked in front of him, admiring the way her hips swayed. Sam noticed a strand of hair on her neck and he held back the urge to lift it up and kissed her neck, tasting her skin.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear what you were saying" Sam said when he noticed that Mercedes was talking.

"I forgot my basket. I'll just go and take it" she said – ready to return to the house and took the basket but Sam stopped her. He couldn't let her go back to the house. If he let her, she might go and never come back.

"It's okay. I can carry your purchase"

The strand of hair on her neck was teasing him and he couldn't resist it. He stepped closer to her and lifted it – letting his fingers lingered on her skin, feeling the velvety touch of it. Her skin was warm and soft just like how he imagined it to be. Mercedes was startled when he touched her and then feeling embarrassed, thinking that her hair was a mess. She must look terrible with all the dusting, wiping, cleaning and cooking that she had done before.

"I must -," she said, stepping back quickly. Unfortunately, stepped back right into Miss Shelby – a tall, older and proper lady who ran the Miss Shelby Tea Shop. Her packages fell down and all of her things were scattered around.

"I am so sorry" Mercedes said as she began to feel very angry at herself for never seemed to do everything right. She stooped and started gathering Miss Shelby's packages.

* * *

Miss Shelby stood as she watched the two young people in front of her gathering her packages. She could let the shop delivered her packages but instead of doing so, she went and took everything by herself. It was because when an old lady liked her walked around the town, she usually encountered something interesting – just like the scenario in front of her at the moment.

"Well, Mercedes. Aren't you going to introduce me to your young man?" she asked once they were standing. The young man was holding her packages and he was beaming at Mercedes – looking at her like the cat that ate the canary.

"Mr. Evans is not … I mean we aren't …" Mercedes stammered, flushing as she tried to come out with something. Sam grinned, making Miss Shelby looked at her. She noticed that he was a very fine young man.

"I may not be yet but I am planning to be her young man" he said slowly. "I am Sam Evans"

"Shelby Cochran. You can either call me Shelby or Miss Shelby – just like the whole town did. I must say young man, you look too pleased with yourself" she said as she looked at him shrewdly. Sam grinned as he looked at Mercedes who was still blushing.

"I am. What man wouldn't be so happy escorting a beautiful young lady such as Miss Jones?"

Mercedes felt like she wanted to look behind her to see who he meant by the compliment but she could clearly see that Sam was looking and smiling down at her when he said it.

"Well, well, well" Miss Shelby said. "At last, there's a man with a sense in this town. Mercedes is a _fine_ young woman and you did a good job in seeing that, Mr. Evans. You better hang on to her"

Sam took Mercedes' hand and slipped her arm through his.

"I am planning to do that" he said, smiling at Miss Shelby.

"Come to my shop for a tea"

"I'm sorry but I have to return home and -,"

"We'll be there" Sam said as Miss Shelby took her packages and began walking.

* * *

Sam tugged Mercedes' arm securely into his as he began to walk in the opposite direction of Miss Shelby.

"Mr. Evans, you cannot say things like that" Mercedes said.

"Things like what?"

"Things like … that I am pretty or that you are my young man. It'll give people a wrong impression about us"

Sam never thought that Mercedes never realized how beautiful she was. In his experience, beautiful women liked Mercedes usually pretending to not know that they were beautiful so that people would compliment them. He wasn't ready to give the excessive compliments to her – _yet_. He wanted his hands to be all over her when he told her how beautiful she was.

"What would be the right impression about us?"

"That you work for my father and as a hostess, I feel I should …" should what? She asked herself. She had never gone walking with her father employee before.

"Should introduce me to the people in Lima" Sam said, finishing her words. Out of the blue, he stopped walking and looked at her with a wary expression. He just had a dreaded thought and he prayed that it wasn't true.

"Mercedes, you don't dislike me, do you? Maybe you don't want to be seen with me. Maybe I'm not – well - attractive to be with you"

Mercedes looked at him, dumbfounded. Not attractive? What was he talking about? She thought. He was very attractive. He was the most handsome man she had ever laid her eyes on. He was kind, thoughtful, funny and warm.

"I like you" she whispered. A wide smile instantly appeared on Sam's face.

"Good" he said as he took her hand and put her arm into his again. This time, more securely than before. "Now, tell me about this town" he said, beaming as he looked at her and began walking.


	3. Chapter 3 : Goodbye, my love

This chapter contains some dialogue and excerpts from the original novel.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or the original novel.

* * *

Mercedes was nervous as she and Sam started to walk along the street. He was still holding her hand. She didn't understand this man who was walking beside her. He was _too different_ from the few men that she had known. She still couldn't believe that this _fine_, _attractive_ man was interested in her – _the fat old maid_. Most men used to look at her and then they would ignore her. Sure, there were some men who were interested in her but usually they were attracted to her cooking and cleaning skills. None of them had interested in her because of her true self but _this man_ – he was unusual. He saw her as a _woman_ – something that none of her suitor had done before.

Few years ago, a widower with five children had asked her father for Mercedes' hand in marriage. Mercedes would agree to the marriage because she loves children. However, her father and Irene were so upset and thus making Mercedes turned him down. They had said that the man only wanted Mercedes to take care of his children and that he didn't really care about her. Irene and her father had asked for her to wait for the _right_ man to come and married her. Mercedes wasn't stupid to believe that the widower loved her and at twenty four years old, she knew that she didn't have much chance left for marriage but she still given in to her father and Irene's wish.

After that, she had eaten so much that she gained 20 pounds. Her father didn't say a word about her weight gained but Mercedes could often felt his eyes on her. She seemed to disappoint him in one way or another. She always felt that she was a burden to him – an unmarried daughter and even when she found one suitor, he was unsuitable for her. Then, one day, Irene had come home with news. Apparently, the man had been married with another woman and he had bought the old bungalow near the river. Irene had softened the news with a box of chocolate and Mercedes had eaten the entire box in the afternoon.

"What is that building?" Sam asked, shaking her out of her reminiscence. Mercedes looked at the old building that Sam had pointed. They had been walking for awhile and she had been telling him about the shops and businesses around the road. Truth was, after awhile of walking along the road with Sam, Mercedes had become comfortable being around him because Sam was an easy company. He seemed to be interested in everything – asking about all the buildings that they had encountered, how old were they? Who owns what and what for sale?

"You sound as if you are considering of living here permanently" she said. Sam looked down at her and smiled.

"Maybe I am" he said. He was staring at her with his intense stares that made her averted her eyes from him and looked down.

When they were standing in front of Pillsbury's Art Room, two young men – Jake and Ryder came toward them and started asking questions.

"Is Irene with you?"

"Is she home?"

"Can I see her later?"

"What are you serving for dinner?" Jake asked before laughing at his own silly question. All the questions acted liked a wake-up call for Mercedes. For the last hour, basking in the gentleness and comfort of Sam's company, she had forgotten about her sister.

"Irene – she – was -,"

"If you excuse us" Sam said sternly as he stared down at the two young men. "Mercedes and I have somewhere that we need to be"

Jake and Ryder were shocked that they forgot to speak for a moment.

"You're that new guy that works for Irene's fath -,"

"For Mr. Jones, yes" Sam said pointedly. Ryder grinned.

"Oh, I see. The boss's daughter. Mercedes -,"

Sam dropped Mercedes' hand walked toward the two young men. He was older, larger and carried much more self confident. Therefore, it was easy for him to tower them.

"I doubt, sir. If you have any intelligent to see anything. Now, I advise you to go away and do not mistake Ms. Jones as her sister's social secretary!"

The two young men looked from Sam to Mercedes and back again. Jake who was in the back looked at Mercedes as if he was seeing her for a first time in his life. For once, he didn't see her as Irene's fat sister who was quietly served tea and cakes and long gracious dinner, but as a woman. He had never notice how pretty she was and although she was too big for his preference, he did admit that she had a nice body. He punched Ryder's arm.

"We're sorry to bother you, sir. Have a nice day, Mercedes" he said and bow a bit before the two of them turned and walked away – but not before Jake turned back and looked at Mercedes once again.

"Rude boys!" Sam muttered, clasping Mercedes' fingers and curving her fingers around hand and tuck her arm around his. This town seemed full with lunatics, he thought. Were all men are blind or just plain stupid? He didn't understand how people could be interested in that pinched-face, skinny-flanked self-centered Irene when Mercedes was around.

* * *

At the corner of the Beiste's Hardware, they could clearly see Miss Shelby's Tea Shop.

"I'm hungry. Are you?" Sam asked. Mercedes was still reeling from the encounter with Jake and Ryder, Irene's young men. Sam had acted as though he would strike them and he had told them that Mercedes wasn't Irene's 'social secretary'.

"No" she answered honestly. "I'm not hungry at all" she said, beaming at him. She felt too good to even be hungry. She wasn't aware of it but her shoulders were straight and there was a light in her face that wasn't there about an hour ago.

"Do you mind if I eat?" he asked. She looked at him and smiled. At the moment, she would let him do _anything_. She shook her head. They walked to Miss Shelby's shop. Upon entering it, Mercedes' shoulders sagged when she noticed three of Irene's thin and beautiful friends were inside. Each of them were wearing tight jacket that fit to their waists liked a second skin – showing off their ant-like waists. All the good feeling that she felt before was fed away once she saw them.

"I think I should go home" she said – acutely aware of her dress, her hair, and more importantly about her size. She couldn't bear to see Sam's reaction when he saw the beautiful girls. She saw one of the girls looked at up and gave her a tiniest smile when she noticed Mercedes. Then, she noticed Sam who was standing beside Mercedes and her eyes went wide. She had lost her composure as she looked at him. Mercedes looked away as Sam escorted her to a table. She sat and decided to look at the window. She didn't want to see his expression when he saw the three pretty girls.

"Mercedes, how good to see you!"

She was forced to divert her attention from the window when the three girls came and gathered around their table. She knew what they wanted – to be introduced to the handsome gentleman who was seating beside her. She took a deep breath and decided to get it over with as fast as she could.

"May I introduce you?" she asked softly but still couldn't bear to see his reaction. She introduced the three girls – Missy Gunderson, Brittany S. Pierce and Marley Rose. Vaguely, she could hear Sam talking with them but she wasn't really listening. It was a good evening, walking along the town with this handsome man in her arm – pretending that he was hers. Maybe it was time that she woke up from the dream, Mercedes thought.

"Will you excuse us?" she heard Sam said. "Mercedes and I are hungry"

Mercedes prayed for the floor to open and swallowed her. People her size usually pretending that they never ate.

"Oh," Missy said, glancing at Mercedes.

"Mr. Evans, are you the man that Irene said would work for her father?" Marley asked. Mercedes, finally giving up to temptation, stole a glance at Sam. Instead of the elevated expression that she had expected, she saw an aggravation on his face.

"I've agreed to work for Mercedes' father" he said. A tone of annoyance could be heard in his words. "On a condition that Mercedes accompany me for a walk" he added, smiling as he looked at her. Mercedes didn't know which of them who were more astounded – her or the girls. The three girls turned to look at Mercedes in unison and their expression showed that they couldn't believe that a man like Sam would want to be with a woman liked Mercedes. Silently, they walked back to their table and she could see their heads were pressed together as they took a look at Mercedes and Sam. Turning to look at Sam, Mercedes was once again speechless.

"This is the weirdest town I have ever seen" he said, partly in anger and partly in bafflement. "You'd think that everyone had never seen a man and a woman walk together before. Is Lima too different with Memphis?"

Mercedes wanted to tell him that there was nothing wrong with the people or the town but it was the women. People found it odd that he wanted to be seen with her – Mercedes, the fat old maid. However, something told her to keep quiet. If he didn't realize it, she won't be the one to tell him.

"So, tell me more about your life in Memphis" she said. Sam looked at her and smiled widely as he began talking about his hometown.

* * *

After a lovely tea which Mercedes had eaten very little because for once in her life, she didn't feel hungry at all, they went back outside.

"I must go home now" Mercedes, not meaning it. At the moment, she felt like she didn't want to go back home at all.

"You would look really good in that" Sam said, pointing at the dress on display in a store next door - Lima's largest, most expensive department store, The Enchanted. Mercedes never gave much thought to her clothes. She was busy taking care of the house and cooking. If she had some free time, she would spend it helping Reverend Rutherford with the charity work. Looking at the dress on display, she did wish that she had something as pretty as it to wear.

"Would you like to go inside?" Sam urged when he noticed the longing look on her face. Mercedes quickly shook her head. She couldn't bear the thin, smug shop girls who always flocking the store. Besides, the thought of buying a dress made her fear of jinxing the amazing day that she had so far.

"No. I – I need to go home. Father will -,"

Sam pulled out his gold pocket watch and opened it.

"Well, look at that! We've been gone for only 10 minutes. We still have plenty of time left!"

"Ten -," Mercedes said, starting to laugh. "Alright, Mr. Evans. It looks like we still have 50 minutes more. Where shall we go?"

Sam slipped her hand in the crook of his arm.

"Anywhere I am with you, I seem to be happy"

Mercedes blushed as she felt the warm pleasure coursing through her.

"The park is quite near" she lied, knowing too well that the park was half a mile away. She worried about the rib roast and the unmade apple pie later. Now, all she wanted to do was spending some time with this man who seemed to see something in her that others didn't see.

* * *

They walked slowly to the park and as the time passed, Mercedes started to feel comfortable around Sam. Sam was very gracious and he didn't leave her as she was feared. At the end of the street, Mercedes stopped abruptly. The park was in front of them but between them and the park were a four foot high stone wall and then a deep ditch.

"I meant to go down the other street. We have to go back" she said, internally scolding herself for being stupid.

"It just a wall. I'll lift you up and you can climb over" Sam said nonchalantly. Mercedes looked at him as if he had grown another head. She felt like laughing. Did he think he could lift houses?

"Too inappropriate?" he asked, looking at her. Mercedes had the urge to roll her eyes but stopped herself. She might as well say it to him.

"Mr. Evans, three men cannot lift me over the wall"

She saw Sam rolled his eyes at her and the next moment, she felt his arms around her waist and she was being lifted. Sam was strong since he used to heavy works where he helped his father at the plantations and Mercedes' weight was nothing to him. Mercedes did let out a laugh when she was on top of the wall. What a day! She thought. What a beautiful and incredible day. Instead of standing in a hot blazing kitchen, cooking and cleaning the house, she was spending time with this remarkable man who treated her as though she was beautiful. She stood on the wall, stretching both of her arms wide for balance and started walking – feeling liked she was a young girl. Her childhood had ended when she was twelve years old, when her mother died. For sixteen years, her life was revolved around taking care of her family and the house – there was no foolishness or any wasting time to spend for her own self.

Sam stood back and watched as Mercedes walked along the wall. She seemed to grow younger and happier as the time past. He took a leap and stretched his hand toward her, which she gracefully took.

"If we fall, we fall together" he said, thinking that tumbling into the ditch didn't seem like a bad idea.

Mercedes followed her as they walked to the direction of the park. A gust of wind came and hit them. She almost fell down but he gripped her and managed to catch her in his arm and held her close. She had never been held by a man before and the sudden closeness between them made her heart thumping loudly. With one swift moment, Sam pulled the pin that was holding her hair together and Mercedes' long, beautiful black hair flowed to her shoulder.

"Beautiful" he said as he put his cheek next to hers. Mercedes stood frozen. She felt as if her body had stopped functioning. Sam pulled away, staring right into her doe like eyes.

"I'll kiss you but we seem to have audiences" he said before smiling lopsidedly. Mercedes looked at the direction of the park and noticed that half of the visitors were looking at them. She looked at him – smiling bashfully.

"Take me away from here before I'll die of embarrassment" she whispered.

"Your wish is my command"

For a fleet of a moment, Mercedes thought about what her father would say if he knew about this but she quickly shoved the thought away. What mattered was _now_ – the moments she spent with Mr. Evans – the weird and strange Mr. Evans who seemed to be attracted to her.

* * *

Sam got down first and then he lifted his hands to help Mercedes down. For a moment, she doubted his strength but she was beginning to trust him. He had lifted her effortlessly and for a moment, he held her close to him.

"People are watching" she chided as she pushed him while laughing and blushing. Sam smiled and caught her hand in his before he pulled her toward the east of the park – running through the trees, around the lake, until they reached the edge of the park. Sam stopped, Mercedes was beside him. Her heart was pounding due to the running. They looked out at the scenery of the countryside to the mountains. In the distance was a train and they could hear the faint sound of its whistling.

_I'm falling. I am falling in love with this amazing woman who looks at me as if I am 20 feet tall,_ he thought. She looked at her through her thick eyelashes and Sam felt like he could do anything. His late wife, Holly had looked at him liked that and when they were married, he _could_ do anything. After her death, he _couldn't_ do anything at all. But at the very moment of spending time with Mercedes, he had felt more alive than he had before. Mercedes was trying to tie her hair but she had nothing since Sam had thrown away her pin.

"Leave it" he said as he stared at her – wanting to touch her but knew that it was too soon. He knew that with Mercedes, he had to go slowly and he was willing to as slow as he needed – although it might be a torture to him.

"All right" Mercedes said softly as she put her hands down. Sam led Mercedes to a little hill and the pulled her down to sit beside him. Once she was seated, he laid his head in her lap – startling Mercedes.

"Mr. Evans …" she said once she managed to speak. "I don't think -," she trailed off. Somehow, in the lessening afternoon light, it was right for this astounding man to rest his head in her lap. The whole afternoon had been magical and this moment was a part of its magic. Tomorrow, she would go back to cooking and cleaning but at this moment, she would bask in this magic.

Sam closed his eyes, and, cautiously, Mercedes put her fingertips on his temple and touched his soft blonde hair. He didn't open his eyes but he did give her a smile.

"Did you get your hair from your father's side or your mother's?" she asked as she played with his hair. For this moment, she could pretend that she was like any other young woman and this lovely man was her man.

"Father's family" he said, not opening his eyes.

"And your mother's family? What are they like?"

"Talented. My mother sings. My grandfather paints and most of the family members can play musical instruments"

"And what do you do?" Mercedes asked. She was growing bold as he laid there, eyes closed. When Irene was young, Mercedes always held and cuddled her but as she grew older, she wanted to be independent hadn't allowed Mercedes to mother her. Today, as she sat there, Sam's head rested in her lap – she began to remember how pleasant it was to touch another human being. She touched his eyes, his nose and ran her fingers along his cheeks and his whiskers just under the surface of his skin.

"A little of both" Sam said. His voice was husky. It was difficult for him to stay quietly in her lap – difficult for him not to take her in his arms. Not yet, Evans, he told himself, _not_ _yet_.

"I can sing, but not as good as my mother. My grandfather taught me to draw and I had drawn some designs for my father's company but mostly I just did what I could" he said. Mercedes suspected that he was being humble. Just as she sensed his loneliness when they were first met, she knew that he wasn't telling the truth.

"No doubt your father paid you a salary in spite of the fact that you are a squanderer"

Sam eyes flew opened.

"I earned my keep. In fact, I designed the most beautiful house in Nashville. Neither of my siblings could draw as good as -," he broke off and then grinned as he settled back in her lap.

"I'll get you back for that, Mercedes" he said smiling. She had made him bragging like a school boy. He took her hand and kissed her palm.

"Now, tell me about you, Mercedes" he said.

"There's nothing to tell. I have no talents or no accomplishments" she said, honestly. It was the truth. She didn't have any specialty. Well, except for her skill in eating, she thought. She once ate three cakes in a day.

"Music?"

"No"

"Arts?"

"No"

"You can cook"

"So can many great women"

He opened his eyes and frowned at her.

"You're not telling me the truth. There's must be something that you like more than anything in the world"

"I love my family" she said dutifully, but when he kept on frowning at her, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Children. I always thought that I would like to have a dozen of children"

"I would love to help you" Sam said earnestly. It took Mercedes a moment to understand what he was implying. She blushed furiously and pushed his shoulder.

"Mr. Evans! You are so wicked!"

Sam leered at her and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"You make me feel wicked, Mercedes"

She laughed. The sun was setting down and the day was growing dim. She stared at Sam and noticed that he even looked more attractive in the fading light.

"Listen" he said. There was a church nearby and they could faintly hear the choir singing.

"Choir practice. It was for the services on Christmas Eve"

"Christmas" he whispered. "Last Christmas, I didn't even remember where I was. I drank too much and didn't seem to remember what had happened" he said. Mercedes looked at her.

"Because of your wife?"

He nodded. He looked at her and touched her face, reeling in the feeling of her smooth skin. Then, he touched her hair. He looked down at her big breast, down to her waist and then he looked at her thighs – wondering if the skin there was as soft and smooth as her neck and her cheeks. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't had a woman ever since Holly's death. None of them was appealing to him. Every time he looked at a woman, he saw Holly in them and all women was pale in comparison to her. That was until he met Mercedes. Now, looking at her, he wanted her so much that his hands were trembling.

"Let's go listen to music!" he said. He needed to get away from the solitude that they were currently in or he won't be able to control himself. Mercedes didn't know what was in his mind but she knew that she didn't want to leave the park. No man had ever looked at her liked he did and although it scared her, it did excite her too. She was sure that today was a onetime event and tomorrow, there would be no man who would ask her to stroll along the town together and she would like to savor the moment.

"Mercedes, don't look at me like that. A man can only take so much" Sam said. There was a hint of desperation in his voice. She seemed to hesitate. Sam rocked back on his heels and let out a groan – which made Mercedes laugh. She had no idea what was going on but the look on Sam's face made her felt powerful and _beautiful _at the same time.

"All right, let's go listen to the carols" she said. He helped her stood and his hands were all over her body at once. Mercedes felt shiver on her spine and her heart leaped as she felt his touch.

"Let's go" Sam said as he pulled her toward him – all the time, reminding himself to take things slow and tried his hardest to control his desire.

* * *

They arrived at the nice church at the end of the park and stood at the back of the church, listening to the music. Some patrons looked curiously at Sam who stood protectively over Mercedes. They ignored the curios looks and whispers as they listened to the music. Then, a familiar tune was heart and Mercedes could feel Sam stiffened beside her.

"We should go" he said abruptly and tried to walk out but she stopped him.

"We must stay" she said. He didn't say anything but she could feel his hand tremble in her grip. The choir was began to sing when Sam released his hand from Mercedes and stepped forward into the church's aisles. Mercedes watched as he closed his eyes and started to sing the hymn. She admitted that he did have a nice voice. One by one, the choir members stopped singing as they heard his voice. Sam didn't only listen to the song, he felt them. The last time he sung it was at his wife's funeral. He vividly saw the image of Holly in her coffin; their tiny son was in her arm and he felt nothing. He had sung the song while others had wept, he hadn't shed any tears. For a year, he had felt nothing, he had eaten, walked and slept but he felt empty. For a year, he had not laugh, cried or even felt angry.

As he sang the song, he remembered Holly. He remembered her laugh, her smile and remembered as she struggled to give birth to their child. He knew that it was time to say goodbye to a woman whom he had loved so much. Goodbye, Holly, my love, he thought, as tears streamed down his cheeks. _Goodbye_.

When Sam stopped singing, the stillness in the church was profound. There were no dry eyes in the church. Everyone had felt his emotion in his song and felt his sorrow. The choir leader was about to say something but Mercedes beat her for it as she reached for Sam. They went outside and he leaned against the church's wall. Mercedes reached for a handkerchief in his pocket and gave it to him. She would give hers but it was dirty. Sam blew his nose loudly and then he gave her a weak smile.

"Not a way for a man to act in front of his girl, eh?' he said, chuckling. His words made her heart fluttered but she quickly controlled herself.

"Your wife?" she asked. Sam nodded.

"I sang it at her funeral"

"You love her very much?"

He lifted his eyes and took a deep breath. He realized that for the first time since her death, Holly's image wasn't as clear as it used to be. He looked at Mercedes, and he saw her features instead of Holly's.

"_Loved_" he said – emphasizing at the past tense. "Yes, I did" he added, smiling as he put his large hand on Mercedes' cheek, his thumb caressing her smooth skin.

"Could I walk you home, Miss Jones?" he asked.

"Home?" she said and a dreaded feeling washed over her. As reality began to hit her, Mercedes were frantic as she remembered the uncooked dinner and the messiness that she had left behind.

"What time is it? Oh, don't tell me! Father will be worried. They'll not have had their dinner! Oh no, what have I done?"

"Something for yourself, for a change" Sam said but Mercedes had began running toward her house to hear him. He immediately ran after her.


	4. Chapter 4: The lies

This chapter contains some dialogue and excerpts from the original novel.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or the original novel.

* * *

Irene was about to enter Dr. Chang's clinic when out of nowhere, Marley, Brittany and Missy appeared behind her. The three of them seemed to be talking among them before they turned to face her.

"Tell us about the guy who was with Mercedes!" Marley said excitedly. She had been dying to know about the gorgeous man ever since she saw him walking into Ms. Cochran's café. Irene frowned.

"What are you talking about? Mercedes is at home – cooking or doing some chores" Irene said.

"No! We just saw her at Ms. Cochran's café with a very gorgeous man!" Missy said. Brittany nodded.

"She was wearing an old dress which is so outdated yet he looked at her adoringly. I wish someone would look at me like that" Brittany added dreamily. Marley nodded.

"Ryder and Jake saw them walking around the town. Jake told us, he almost beat them for asking about you. He even told them that Mercedes is not your social secretary" Marley said. Irene was fueled with jealousy. She had an idea about the guy that her friends were talking about but she needed a confirmation.

"How is he like?" she asked.

"Tall, broad shoulder, blonde with a captivating green eyes that I've ever since" Marley described Sam with a dreamy look. Irene's blood was boiling. She felt like she wanted to explode. She stared at her friends.

"That is Mr. Evans. He had no interest in Mercedes. He was angry at Ryder and Jake because they were asking me and he was jealous" she huffed. Brittany looked at her, confused.

"But Jake said that he was looking at Mercedes like she is the most beautiful girl in the world" she said. Irene huffed and pushed Brittany to the side as she walked away, leaving the trio alone.

* * *

Irene was seething with rage as she walked quickly toward her house. Along the way back home, she had been stopped by many people, asking about Mercedes and her handsome man. One of the elders in the town had even jokingly told her that Mercedes would beat her to the altar. She always knew that between the two of them, Mercedes was prettier. She had a smooth skin and her smile would light up a person's life. She had a beautiful and kind heart. She couldn't let Mercedes got Mr. Evans. Irene wasn't stupid. She knew that Mr. Evans was rich. He was related to the Abrams, for God sake! If not as rich as them, she was sure that he had money! She couldn't bear the thought of people comparing her husband and Mercedes' husband and knew that if she married Sam Evans, Mercedes would win the _'my husband is better'_ contest.

Irene gasped when she arrived home. The living room was tidy as usual. She proceeded to the kitchen and saw that flour was everywhere. There was a hard pie crust and an empty bowl. Then, she went upstairs, to her room and noticed that it was as messy as when she left it. Her dresses weren't iron and the dress that she had asked Mercedes to fix was still on the bed. She went to Mercedes' room and it was as tidy as usual. Irene went to her father's room and saw that it was as messy as hers. She went to the living room and sat on the couch – all the time thinking that Mercedes couldn't leave. Her life would be hell if Mercedes left the house before her. She had zero knowledge about doing house chores. She couldn't even cook to save her own life. She knew that her father share the same sentiment about Mercedes with her. That was the main reason he refused to accept the man who had come for Mercedes' hand in marriage few years ago. Irene knew that Dwayne would do anything to keep his eldest daughter as long as he could.

"Oh, father!" she cried as soon as she saw Dwayne entered the living room. She hugged her father's arm but he quickly released himself from Irene. Dwayne Jones was never believed in showing affection. Irene pretended to wipe her tears with her handkerchief as she pretended to cry.

"Something horrible had happened! Mercedes had been the talk of the town. Everybody was talking about her scandalous behavior with Mr. Evans today. People had seen them embracing each other on the wall" she began telling her father all the stories that she had heard from the town's people with some exaggeration and twists added from her own account.

"Look at the time! Mercedes hasn't come home yet and the dinner isn't ready yet! The house is a mess! Oh, father! What would happen if she leaves us?" Irene said, sobbing as she exaggeratedly showing the mess that had been left behind to her father. Dwayne took in the messy kitchen, and his own bedroom. He could see that Mercedes hadn't clean his shoes yet. He saw the horror that would happen if she left the house – leaving him with Irene. He didn't care about her indecent behavior because if his daughter's licentious behavior would affect his freight company, his business would be bankrupt long time ago because of Irene's actions. No, that wasn't his concern. His main concern was the messy house and the cold dinner that he sure would be having tonight. His eldest daughter couldn't go and left him with Irene. He knew that Irene won't be doing half of the works that Mercedes had been doing all her life. Living alone with Irene meant that he would definitely be coming back to cold dinner and messy house. He stood at his room's door and observed the messy room. He had stopped Mercedes from being married because of this sole reason.

When Dwayne met Sam, he knew who he was. He knew about the Evan's vast amount of fortune. He had managed to secure a meeting with him a year ago but due to unknown circumstances, the meeting was cancel. So, when he had met the man, he had been plotting a plan. He had imagined the benefits that he could reap from having him as his son in law. Due to that, he had been talking and hinting about his beautiful daughter every time he had found a chance to do so. He could see that Sam was interested but he never knew that he was interested in a wrong daughter. What did he see in Mercedes? He wondered. Ever since the dinner weeks ago, he noticed the infatuation that Sam had toward Mercedes but him never expect that he was serious about it. _No, he cannot have Mercedes and left he with Irene_, Dwayne thought. _Or he couldn't have her until Irene was married_.

"No. we cannot let her behaves like that" Dwayne said. Irene hid her smirk behind her handkerchief.

* * *

Mercedes had been eating for three days and she couldn't seem to stop. The beautiful evening that she had spent with Sam seemed so long ago. She had come back to crying Irene and her unhappy father. Irene was crying as she told her that she was ashamed of what the town's people had said about Mercedes' indecent behavior. Her father had said that she was a disgrace for behaving inappropriately in the public. The disappointment in his eyes was clear. For days, she had been worried if people might cancel their business with her father's freight company because of her behavior. They were ashamed of her selfish behavior – accusing her that she cared about no one but herself. She wanted to deny it but knew that at that moment, she was acting selfishly.

The proofs of Mercedes' outrageous behavior came in a form of many invitations that arrived in her name.

"They believe of you to be a woman of a loose moral" Dwayne said as he threw the invitations into the fire. Mercedes wanted to point out that Irene had received many invitations to the parties too.

"_I'm_ not the one who being seen embracing with a man on the wall. I didn't spend most of the night with a man – _alone_ in the park" Irene chimed in, as if knowing what was in Mercedes' mind. She had tried to defend herself by saying that she was home at 8.30 but she had burst into tears when Dwayne had asked her if there's a chance of her being pregnant. Irene had been telling her that there wasn't a chance that Mr. Evans had a true interest in her. She kept on telling Mercedes that he was using her.

"A man like Mr. Evans won't have any interest in a woman like you, Mercedes. The only reason that he was interested in you is because he has some ulterior motive!" Irene kept on stressing it.

"Men like him would use you for their own joy. They would take advantage of a women like you – a woman who always willing to accompany them and once they have enough, they will leave you and marry a respectable woman. If he respects you, he won't come in through the back door and asked you to sneak out with him. A man who respects woman will treat her with respect" Irene said – making Mercedes felt like she was a kid being reprimanded by her mother. Neither her father nor Irene had let the whole ordeal go. They kept on mentioning it and every time they talked about it, Mercedes would get hungry and she would always ate and ate.

Mercedes had admitted that her father and her sister were right. She had caused them a great embarrassment because of her behavior but somehow, when she was alone in her room, in the middle of the night, she remembered the evening that she had spent with Sam. She thought about the warm feeling that she got when she was in her arms or how warm his hand felt against hers. She remembered the feeling of touching his soft blonde hair and the feeling of his head laid down on her thigh. She craved for the feeling once again. She thought about the way he looked at her and how hard her heart beat every time his emerald green eyes met her brown ones. He had made her felt free and beautiful and she longed to feel it again.

In her memories of the two of them spending time together, Sam had treated her with respect and he seemed so far off the horrible seducer that Irene had said he was. Her father had told her that Sam always flirted with the ladies at work and last Sunday, Irene had come back from church and told her that she saw Sam sitting between Marley and Brittany at church. Mercedes didn't go to church because Dwayne had told her to stay at home until all the '_rumors'_ about her had died down. After Irene had told her about Sam sitting with younger and smaller women, Mercedes had eaten all the dessert for lunch.

* * *

Mercedes was alone at the house. Her father had gone to his office, Irene had set off to the dressmakers and Kitty had been sent to the market. She was busy scrapping pan from last night dinner.

"Hello"

She froze when she heard the familiar voice that sometimes invaded her dreams. She stopped scrapping the pan and turned around. There he was – standing in her kitchen and all the memories from the short evening rushed back into her mind. She smiled at her but the smile faltered down when she remembered the horrible days after the evening.

"Mr. Evans, you have to leave!" she said and turned back to resume washing the dishes. A smile on Sam's face disappeared. He put the flowers that he had brought with him on the table and went to get her. He took her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

"Mercedes, what's wrong?" he asked. His voice was full with concern. "I haven't seen you in three days. I've come here every evening but your father said that you were unwell. Are you sick?"

Nobody had told Mercedes that he had come by. She moved away – freeing herself from him.

"I am fine. You have to leave. We cannot be alone together. It is not proper"

"Not proper?" Sam echoed her word, in puzzlement. If she wasn't sick, then maybe she was avoiding him? Sam thought. He stared at her. "Mercedes, did I offend you when we were out the other day? Is it because of what happened during the choir practice?" he asked.

"No -," she said. He had done nothing wrong and the incident at the choir practice had touched her heart. "It's -," she trailed off. She couldn't tell him about the event that had taken place after she had gotten home. Out of the blue, Mercedes was in tears – an act that even surprised herself. She covered her face with her hands and her shoulders shook as the tears poured down. Within seconds, Sam had wrapped his arms around her. He reached for the bottle of brandy on the table and poured it into a glass before gave it to her.

"No, no. I can't – I don't -," she said between her sobs.

"Drink!" he said with finality. Reluctantly, Mercedes took the glass and drank the brandy at once. Sam took the empty glass and put it on the table before sitting in front of her.

"Now, tell me what had happened" he said softly as he stared into her eyes.

"We behaved scandalously" she said. Maybe it because of the alcohol in her system but the words didn't seem as disgraceful had she once thought. Sam didn't understand. Maybe they were behaving a little bit outrageous but nobody seemed to mind it. In fact, everywhere he went, people seemed to ask him about Mercedes. He took her hands.

"Was it because of us being alone? We can go out with somebody else tagging along with us" _and that way, it could help me keeping my hands off you too,_ he thought.

"The wall" Mercedes said, sniffling. A smile crept on his face as he remembered their little moment on the wall.

"The wall? You're upset that I hugged you on the wall? You were about to fall" he said.

"I – I -," Mercedes was at lost. She couldn't tell him that people might cancel their contract with her father's company or told him that he wasn't respecting her. No, she couldn't say that. Especially when he was looking at her as he was now. She couldn't think properly when he was staring at her.

The sound of the footsteps outside the kitchen door made Mercedes' eyes widen in horror.

"It's Irene. You have to go"

"I'll greet her" he said. He didn't want to leave. They hadn't settled their issue yet.

"No, no, no! You cannot be here" Mercedes said. There was a hint of panic in her voice. Sam didn't understand why she looked so scared and he had no intention to leave yet. Therefore, he slipped into the pantry just as Irene walked into the kitchen. Leaning against the shelves, he had an entire view of the two sisters. This whole time, his eyes were fixed on Mercedes and he never noticed the differences between her and her sister. Looking at them at the moment, he could clearly see the difference. Irene was dressed in an expensive wool suit while Mercedes was wearing an old dress.

"You – you're back early" Mercedes stammered as she smiled nervously, looking at Irene.

"Yes" Irene said, yanking off her gloves. "I couldn't stay in the town without hearing people talking about you and that man!"

Mercedes' eyes darted to the pantry.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about it here. Let's go to the parlor" she said.

"I don't want to go to the parlor" Irene retorted. She unpinned her hat and looked at Mercedes. "I am famished. I couldn't even have a luncheon because people cannot stop talking about your scandalous behavior and it made me lost my appetite"

"Irene, please. Let's go to the -,"

Mercedes' words were cut short when Irene squealed once she saw the bouquet of flowers on the table.

"Mercedes, why didn't you tell me that I have flowers? Who is it from? Is it Bobby? Or Jake? Or Ryder? It must be _Ryder_!"

She picked up the bouquet and searched for the card. Once found, she opened it and read it.

'To the most beautiful woman in the world' "How lovely" she read, smiling widely as she looked at Mercedes. She closed the card and saw that it said 'To Mercedes, with love from Sam' Irene had to read the card a few times till she understood. She flung the flowers on the floor and stared at Mercedes. Rage was in her eyes.

"He was here, isn't he? How could you, Mercedes? After everything that father and I told you, you still continue your licentious behavior with him! How could you, Mercedes?"

"Irene, please!" Mercedes begged. "Couldn't we -,"

"And brandy too!" Irene yelled as she took the empty glass. "This has gone too far. Wait till I tell father about this! Mercedes, I can't believe that you were so stupid! Don't you know that people, who love you, know what's best for you? Don't you understand what he wants from you? He wants to make you drunk and has his ways -,"

Mercedes was facing the pantry and she could see that Sam had stepped out from it, readied to battle with Irene. When Irene fumbled with her handkerchief, Mercedes rushed toward Sam and shoved him back into the pantry and turned to face her sister. She tried to pull her hand away from his chest but Sam grabbed it and never let it go. Her body was in the kitchen but her outstretch arm was in the pantry.

"With you" Irene finished. At that, Sam snorted. Irene looked at Mercedes with a frown.

"Are you laughing at me?" she asked. Mercedes shook her head.

"No, I would never laugh at you. I -,"

Mercedes couldn't continue her words because Sam had taken her hand which had been resting on his chest and kissed each of her small fingers.

"You don't know a man like him, Mercedes. He's a seducer" Irene continued talking but Mercedes didn't even listen. Sam was nibbling her wrist and she was totally distracted with his action.

"Mercedes! Are you listening?" Irene asked.

"Yes" Mercedes said but it came out more as a whisper.

"You cannot trust a man likes him and father was right when he forbade you from seeing him again"

Sam stopped kissing Mercedes' hand. _So, that's why she seemed so nervous just now,_ he thought. He resumed kissing Mercedes' hand while paying attention to the lies that Irene was sprouting.

"Father told you about his flirting and I saw him flirting around women when we were at church with my own eyes. He didn't even care that father and I saw what he was doing. He just wants to get as many women as he can get. I don't understand why he wants you as his conquest – but he did choose you"

There was a hint of distaste in Irene's tone when she talked about Mercedes. Irene looked at Mercedes with a concern in her face.

"Mercedes, father and I care about you and we only want the best for you. Trust us when we say that Mr. Evans is not right for you"

Mercedes was barely nodding. She had pushed up her sleeves before she started doing the dishes and now Sam was kissing her inside elbow.

"He seduces you because he wants to get into Jones' Freight Company. He wanted to be father's partner. He seduced you because he knew that between us, you're the one who has less experience with guys. He would try to seduce me but he knew that I know too much about guys that he won't be succeeding with his plan. Because _unlike_ you, _I_ won't let myself being humiliated in the public like he did to you. So, knowing that he couldn't fool me, he went to get you, and Mercedes, you believed everything that he had said! Tell me, sister, did he tell you that you are beautiful?"

At that question, Mercedes turned to look at the pantry. Her eyes met with Sam's pretty green eyes. She looked at him as if she was waiting for him to answer Irene's question. He nodded and smiled at her. He would caress her face while telling her how beautiful she was in his eyes but he was hiding. Therefore, he settled it by kissing her palm while his eyes were boring into hers.

"Yes," Mercedes whispered as she turned to look at her sister. "He told me I was beautiful"

"There, you see. He's a liar"

Once he heard that, Sam dropped Mercedes' arm and started to march toward the kitchen but Mercedes stopped him. She put her hand on his chest and gave him a pleading look as Irene turned to take a glass from the cabinet.

"Irene, why don't you go and rest in your room? I'll bring your lunch for you later" Mercedes said.

"Yes, perhaps it is the best. You cannot imagine the horrible things that I've had to listen about my sister"

* * *

Mercedes tried to pull away from the pantry when Irene looked at her but Sam had a firm grip on her wrist. Leaving with no choice, she gave a small smile to Irene. Irene sighed as she left the kitchen to her room. Once Irene was out of sight, Mercedes turned and looked at Sam.

"Mr. Evans, you cannot -,"

She couldn't finish her words when Sam pulled her toward him, securely holding her in his arms and kissed her. At first, Mercedes was so shocked that she stood still, eyes opened as his strong arms pulled her closer to him.

"Mercedes," Sam whispered as he began nuzzling and kissing her neck. "Don't you understand that I am not interested in your father's company? It is _you_, who I have interest in"

Mercedes barely heard him as she basked in the weird pleasurable feeling that Sam had inflicted into her. The feeling of his mouth against her neck was making her experiencing new sensation – one that she had never felt before. Sam's big hands roamed against her body and Mercedes could feel that her knees were going weak. His mouth left her neck and Sam began peppering kisses on her cheeks, her temple, her eyes and her nose before settling back on her lips, kissing gently at first but once she responded to his kiss, he pressed harder. His tip of the tongue touched hers. At first, she drew away from him but he held her firmly in his arms.

It took some times for Mercedes to truly react to his touch. She had no idea how much longing and desired were buried inside her. Mercedes was a woman with lots of love but had no one to pour her love to. Her hand started to trail along Sam's back and she pulled him closer to her. Her breath became harder as Sam continued kissing her.

"Mercedes" he purred as he began running his lips and teeth on her neck. Mercedes' hands were buried into Sam's blonde hair. He groaned when she tugged his hair as their lips locked together. She kissed his cheeks and nuzzled her face into her neck, licking and nibbling at the skin there. He _smelled_ good. He _tasted_ so good. Mercedes couldn't think any longer. Her desire had overcome her rationality. She _wanted_ him.

"Mercedes" Sam said or more like panting as he uttered her name, trying to pull away from her but finding it very difficult to do so.

"We have to stop" he said as he lifted his head to look at her. Her face was flush, eyes closed and her lips were swollen due to the kisses. She was a mess but she looked so beautiful in his eyes. He could feel his pants becoming tighter.

"Mercedes" he said once again but this time, he was groaning as he said her name. "I can't bear it anymore. We have to stop" He kissed her one last time before he pulled away. "I think your family won't be happy if they found us making love in the kitchen" he continued. Mercedes opened her eyes and looked at him. They were pressed intimately and his legs were between hers and she remembered how desperate she behaved a moment before.

"I – I'm sorry, Mr. Evans – I -," she was at loss of words.

"It's alright" Sam said, shooting her his lopsided smile as if it was nothing but she could clearly see the sweat on his temple. Mercedes was embarrassed. She started to back down from the pantry but Sam stopped her. He caught her arm but she pushed him away.

"Mr. Evans, I am truly sorry for - the way I behaved" she said as she moved to the kitchen, avoiding any eye contact with him. If she didn't look at him, she might forget how shameless she had behaved a moment ago.

"Please look at me" Sam pleaded. When she refused to do so, he held her shoulder and put his face in front of hers – looking straight into her eyes.

"You're not believing everything that your sister said, aren't you?" he asked. Mercedes said nothing.

"I haven't looked at any other women besides you ever since I stepped my feet in the town. Those two overdressed fillies sat by _me_. I'm not the one who sat by them. And at your father's office, I have never been anything but polite to the ladies"

Mercedes pulled away from Sam.

"Mr. Evans, your social life is not my concern. You can do anything that you want. You are free to pursue any young woman in the town" she said as she began slicing meat and bread for Irene's lunch. Sam could clearly see that she didn't believe him. _Damn that little brat Irene_, he cursed. _Mercedes believed everything she said._

"I've never made any advance toward you sister -,"

"Are you implying that my sister lied to me?" she cut him mid-sentence.

"If the shoes fit, wears it!" The words were out before he managed to stop it. Mercedes glared at him.

"You may leave now, Mr. Evans and you are no longer welcome in here" she said sternly.

"Mercedes, I am sorry. I didn't mean to call her a liar even if it is true. I meant -," he trailed off when he saw that she was looking at him in anger.

"Mercedes, please go out with me. I'll show you how much you mean to me"

"As you did in the pantry? No, Mr. Evans. Unlike what you were thinking, I am not stupid. I know who I am. I am just an old maid who happens to have a rich father. You don't have to bother your time on me anymore, now that I know the truth" she said. The pleading look on Sam's face was immediately be replaced with an anger.

"I have never lain to you" he said through clenched teeth. "And I do not like being called a liar!" Sam continued as he stepped forward toward her while Mercedes took a step back.

"One day, Mercedes, you have to make a choice – either your own life or your family. I am willing to help but not when I was being accused of a liar and was told that I am courting a woman because of her father's money. If you take a little time to find out about me, you'll know that I am being honest with you. I'm -," Sam stopped. He won't tell her who he was if she didn't want to get to know him. If she believed her sister and everything that her family fed to her, he wasn't going to say anything. He won't defend himself from her.

"If you choose to be an old maid, I cannot do anything about it. It's good to know you, Mercedes" he said before he walked away.

* * *

Sorry for the wait! I'll try to update all of my stories as soon as I can but RL is being a bitch right now.

Thank you for reading ;)


	5. Chapter 5 : Two wishes

Glee nor the lovely novel Wishes are mine! They belong to their rightful owner!

* * *

Mercedes stood stunned as she watched Sam left. She stood – staring at the empty door as Sam's silhouette disappeared from her view, unable to move. _Irene was right_, she thought. _Mr. Evans only wants her for her father's money._ When he knew that Mercedes had known about his plan, he left. For a fleeting moment, Mercedes thought that she would go after him. She didn't care if he only wanted her for her father's money. She thought about the moment when they went for a walk and all the evening the spent at the wall. Those were her happiest moment in her life. She closed her eyes and thought about when he held her on the wall, when he rested his head in her lap and how she brushed his smooth blonde hair. She remembered when he sang his heart out in the church and how tears rolled down his cheeks. Her thought went to the moment that they shared in the pantry. Mercedes never felt passion before and it was a new feeling and a new experience for her. She folded her arms across her chest and rubbed her forearm.

_Money_, she thought. _All he wanted was money and just as Irene said, he courting a fat old maid to get what he wants._ The kitchen door flung opened, startling Mercedes. Kitty entered with a sullen face.

"She wants her lunch" she said. Mercedes quickly shook the thoughts about Mr. Evans away and expertly prepared Irene's lunch.

* * *

Irene was sitting on the bed, reading. Pillows were propped behind her and her silk skirt wrinkled beneath her. Mercedes put the tray on her lap and began hanging her clothes.

"You forgot the flower" she said. Mercedes looked at her, confused. She kept seeing Sam's beautiful green eyes. He was really mad at her. Maybe she shouldn't accuse him like she had. Maybe she should gather more evident before accusing him. Maybe –

"You always put a flower every time you bring me lunch" Irene pouted. "Oh, Mercedes! You don't care about us anymore. You only care about him!" she said, as if on the verge of tears. Mercedes took the tray away from Irene's lap and pulling her into a hug and stroke her hair. _Oh, my child,_ Mercedes thought. _Irene is the only child that I'll ever have._ For a moment she felt like crying too. Perhaps, the only chance that she would get her dream of having her own family and children came true had walked out of the door.

"I do care about you" she said. "It just I've been so busy lately that I forgot the flower. It doesn't mean that I forget about you"

"You like father and I better than him?" Irene asked like a child-like innocence. Mercedes smiled and nodded.

"Of course"

Irene clasped Mercedes to her.

"You wouldn't run off with him and leave father and I, wouldn't you?"

Mercedes pulled away and stared at her sister with a smile on her face.

"A fat old maid like me? Who would want me?" she said.

Irene wrapped her arms around Mercedes' waist and pulled her closer.

"We do! Father and I want you"

Mercedes was beginning to feel hungry. She moved away from the bed.

"You probably tired. Why don't you finish your lunch and get some rest? I'm going to finish the chores"

"No, Mercedes. Don't go"

Mercedes was getting hungry but she reluctantly sat at the edge of the bed.

"He really is gone, right? You don't have him lurking around in the kitchen or someplace else?" Irene asked as she ate her lunch.

"No" Mercedes said. She was getting hungrier.

"Oh, Mercedes! You don't what a curse to be young and beautiful like myself. Men have the most awful motives of getting closer to you. You don't know how many guys had tried to get closer with me just because of father's money!"

Irene tore a piece of bread that Mercedes had baked in the morning and gave her sister a hard look.

"Have you been invited to the Harvest Ball?"

Mercedes could feel her face flushing. She nodded. "Yes"

Irene took her tray on the bed and put her hands on her face.

"I have not been invited. I am the only person in this town who hasn't been invited!" she cried.

Mercedes once again pulled her sister into her arms.

"You can have my invitation. I don't think I'm going. Besides, what would I wear to the ball?"

"I can't take your invitation! The Abrams don't think I am socially acceptable! Me! Everyone know who the Abrams are and to know that I am not invited to the Harvest Ball – god! Everybody would make a fun of me! Oh, Mercedes! I wish -,"

"You wish what?"

Irene pulled away, sniffing.

"I wish I am the most popular girl in Lima. I wish I am invited to every party, every outing out there. I wish no one will ever have a party without me there"

"Then, it what I wish too" Mercedes said, smiling as she wiped Irene's tears. Irene looked at her sister.

"Really?"

Mercedes nodded. "I wish you are the most popular girl in Lima and I wish that you'll have all the party's invitation"

"Yes, I'd like that" Irene said, smiling widely.

"That will make you happy?"

Irene nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Mercedes. I would be very happy if I am the most popular girl in town. That's all I ever hope for in my life"

"Then, I hope the wish will come true. Now, why don't you take the nap? I have some more work that I have to finish" Mercedes said as she got up from the bed and took Irene's lunch tray. Irene immediately laid down, ignoring the fact that she wrinkled her dress since she wasn't the one who needed to iron it.

* * *

Mercedes put the lunch tray on the kitchen table. She stood there – alone and her mind drifted to Sam. If he wasn't chasing her for her father's money, she had definitely insulted him. What did he say about courting? Something about having the woman he was courting calling him a liar. The more she thought about it, the hungrier she became. Mercedes tried to control her appetite by her will but with every thought about him, she kept on getting hungrier. Sam had said that she had a choice – that she was choosing her family instead of herself. Of course she would choose her family. Mercedes thought. Wasn't that what every person had to do?

Mercedes slammed bread dough on the table. What a selfish man Mr. Evans must be for not realizing that the life's greatest joy was giving to others. Just looked at how she and family gave to each other. Her father had given her love and support for his two daughters and Irene also gave love. In return to what they had given, Mercedes cooked for them, helped to clean the house, ran errand, waited for them at home and -

To stop the thoughts, Mercedes began to eat. She ate anything that she could find in the kitchen. She ate five slices of beef, two loaf of bread, couple of peaches, and when the kitchen was empty of food, she went to the pantry. When she entered the pantry, she remembered the way Sam had held her. The way he kissed her and how she felt in his arms.

"I don't care if he wants me for my father's money" she whispered. In order to stop herself from crying, she reached for the strawberry jam and began eating it with her fingers.

It was while Mercedes was in the pantry that Irene's first invitation had arrived. By the time she woke up, she had already received five invitations.

"How?" she asked, surprised.

"Wishes" Mercedes simply said with a smile. "You wish for it and you got it"

Irene clasped the invitations to her chest and then she jumped out of the bed and began going through her closet.

"Mercedes, what am I going to wear? Oh, Mercedes! You need to get the dressmaker and ask him to come here with fabric samples and patterns"

"I can't! I have dinner to prepare. I'll have Kitty to call her or maybe you should go to her"

"I can't. One of the invitations is for a tea party today. You can't send Kitty. She'll never get the message right. You'll have to go, Mercedes! Oh, if only father would put on the telephone in the house!"

"Irene, I can't. I don't have time -,"

Irene turned to look at her. "I thought you wished for me to be popular. I thought you really wanted me to be popular"

"I do, but -,"

Irene wrapped her arms around Mercedes.

"Please, Mercedes. If I meet a lot of people, maybe I'll find a man to marry and then I'll be out of your hair forever. Perhaps this time next year, I'll be gone and you don't have to take care of my need. You'll only need to take care of father alone and you'll have as much as free time as you want"

The thought of her with her father alone didn't excite Mercedes. She didn't like the thought of Irene leaving the house made her sad. House without Irene seemed gloomy and depress for her.

"I'll go" she said.

* * *

It was hours later when Mercedes came back into the kitchen. She had managed to get the dressmaker – Kurt to come to Irene and even helped Irene got dress for the party. She even managed to help her with her hair before Ryder Lynn came for her in his carriage. As soon as she finished helping Irene, she immediately went to the kitchen. Her father would be home soon but dinner wasn't ready yet. Mercedes was trying her best to prepare the dinner before her father arrived home.

"What's going on?!" Dwayne burst out as he walked hurriedly into the kitchen.

"Kitty said that Irene had spent fortune on dresses!"

Mercedes made a silent vow to talk with Kitty.

"Irene had gotten many invitations to parties this afternoon and she felt like she needed new dresses for the occasions" she explained. Dwayne groaned.

"Irene always _believes_ like she needs new dresses!" he bellowed. He looked at the kitchen table and noticed the chopped but yet to be cooked vegetables. He looked at his eldest daughter.

"Is Irene the reason for dinner to be late today?" he asked.

"I was helping her, yes"

"Were you playing with Irene and neglecting your duties?" he asked as he stared at her, hard. Mercedes gripped the rolling pin – hard till her knuckles were turning white.

"Dinner will be ready at six – as usual" she said.

"Good" Dwayne said, nodding. He paused for a moment as he looked at her again. "Kitty said you wished for Irene to get the invitations"

"It was just a bit of nonsense"

"Well, if you get your wishes come true, then maybe you can wish for me to get the money to pay for all the dresses" he said and turned to leave the kitchen. Mercedes watched her father retreated from the kitchen. For a moment, she closed her eyes.

"I wish for father's business would be very successful" she whispered. "I hope he makes more than enough money to pay for Irene's dresses" she said, chuckling at the nonsense. _Wishes don't come true,_ she thought. Because if it really did – she thought of Sam but immediately pushed the thought away as she continued making the dinner. _Father, I hope he gets what he wants,_ she thought.

* * *

Artie stood at the window of his office and watched his cousin who was standing in the garden. He seemed to be so deep in his thoughts. Quinn walked into her husband's office and went to get him. She followed his line of gaze and noticed that he was looking at Sam.

"How long has he been there?" she asked.

"It's been three days. He goes to work for that Jones guy and after that, he'll be here – pacing around in the garden or just wandering around in the garden" Artie frowned. "He's beginning to annoy me" he said.

"I am very sure that his pain is worse than yours" Quinn said.

Artie looked at her. "I wouldn't go through that courting period again for all the money in the world" he said. Quinn smiled and kissed his cheek. As she was walking to the door, Artie pulled her arm.

"Do you think Sam is in hell?" he asked.

"I think so" she answered sadly. "No one had ever seen him and Mercedes together for days, but Irene was everywhere"

Artie kissed his wife and went to sit at his table.

"Mercedes Jones" he said. There's a wonder in his tone. "I don't understand why Sam seems to fixated on a woman who so –,"

"Don't say it" Quinn said with a hint of warning. "Mercedes is a wonderful woman. Whenever that crazy family of her lets her out, she always do lots of church's works. She has loving heart and I think Sam sees that in hers" she said.

"Yeah, maybe she has a wonderful and loving heart but Sam is good looking. How come he wants someone who is so" Quinn gave Artie a sharp looks.

"So big" He finished his words in a lower tone. Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Not every male looks at the outer appearance, Arthur. Samuel might see something in Mercedes that none of the male in Lima sees in her. Besides, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder"

Artie smiled. "Maybe you're right" he said. "Where are you going?" he asked when he saw his wife walking toward the door.

"I'm going to talk to him" she said.

"Preach! Now, everything will be well again. Tell Sam that if he doesn't quit mopping around in my garden, I'm going to kick his ass!"

Quinn chuckled and opened the door, leaving her husband to finish his works.

* * *

"Hello, Samuel" Quinn greeted Sam when she approached him in the garden. Sam turned to look at her and smiled. She studied his face and noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the rough stubbles on his unshaved face. With a right clothes, she thought, he would look like a pirate.

"How's Mercedes?" she asked. Sam let out a loud sigh as he put his hands in his trousers' pockets and looked at the sky.

"I don't know. She didn't want to see me" he said.

"Did you have a fight?"

"I think" he said with a heavy sigh. Quinn sat beside him on the bench stone.

"Quinn, that is the strangest family I have ever since" he said. "When I first met Dwayne, he kept on talking about his wonderful daughter. I thought that maybe he knew who I am and he wanted to match me with his daughter. I continued to listen to him boasting about his daughter and when he invited me for a dinner, I just agreed since a part of me was intrigued. On the day of the dinner, I went to Jones' house an hour early – when I know that Dwayne wasn't back yet. Then, I saw her. The first time I laid my eyes on Mercedes, I was attracted to her. She was everything that her father had said and more. She's beautiful, kind and gentle. One looks into her eyes and I know that she is much more beautiful in the inside. From the moment that I saw him, I want to take her away and show her the world" Sam smiled as he thought about the first meeting of him and Mercedes.

"But her family stops you" Quinn said. Sam let out a sigh for the third time.

"It's weird, you know. I don't understand them. It seems like I can have the younger sister but not her" he said in puzzlement. Then, his voice grew angry when he told Quinn about the incident three days ago.

"I went to see her and then, I had to hide in a pantry like a grocery boy who isn't supposed to be there. Then, that sister of her came in sprouting lie after lie about me – accusing me of wanting her father's money – _as if the man had any_" Sam said the last sentence with a disgusted expression and Quinn suppressed a smile at the vanity of a rich man.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked. Sam shoulder sagged. He rubbed his face.

"I don't know. I've sent flowers every day, two letters and a puppy but everything was sent back to me with a message saying that she didn't want to see me" he looked at Quinn with a forlorn look. "Is there any ways of courting that I don't know about? Because the last time I courted a lady, I sent her a flower and we went out. One day, when I asked her to marry me, she said yes. I don't remember courtship being so difficult"

"Since we talked about the Harvest Ball, I talked to the people in town about Mercedes. Tell me, Samuel. Is it true that Dwayne Jones is a miserly man?" Quinn asked. Sam rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"That man is the stingiest man I've ever met. He could give Scrooge a lesson. He paid all his employees as little as possible and docks their wages every time they were late. I can hardly stay in the office. If it wasn't for Mercedes, I wouldn't accept the job. Three days ago, he got a job in Kentucky. I don't know how – since he always expects to make vast profit out of every deal – but he did. Then, he fired two freight drivers because he said the remaining drivers can work longer hours. He is a mean miserly man"

"That explains why he wants Mercedes to stay with him. He expects her to do a job meant for household full of servants and he pays her lower than he pays her employees"

Sam kept quiet for a moment before he turned and looked at Quinn with realization.

"Jones doesn't want to lose his best worker and nevertheless, the one that he doesn't need to pay for!" he said.

"Exactly" Quinn said, smiling. Sam rested his head on the tree as he watched the blue sky again.

"I guess that I've been too captivated by Mercedes that I barely paid any attention to her family members. That sister of her is really a bitch. Oh, sorry" he said once he realized the language that he had used.

"It's okay. Since I am agreed with you" Quinn said, smiling as she shrugged her shoulder. "But she's quite pretty and lately seems to be in demand at any social gathering in town"

"Mercedes is thousand times more beautiful than her" Sam said, smiling dreamily. "She has a way of looking at a man – since I've met her, I feel like I can do anything and it's been a while since I felt like that. I even managed to draw a new ranch's design after a long time. Since Holly's death -," he trailed off when he spoke about his late wife but for the first time ever since her death, there's no emptiness in his heart when he talked about it.

"They've poisoned her mind against me. They fed her with lies about me – telling her that I am up to no good and they even stopped her from seeing me. I don't even get a chance to defend myself. If I could just have taken her away and spend some alone time with her for awhile, maybe I can tell her who I really am – show her that I don't have any bad intentions toward her" Sam said. Quinn smiled.

"You can't kidnap her" she said. "Women don't take well to kidnapping"

"I already dismissed the idea" Sam said in a serious face. "I've thought of capturing her and take her away from Lima but I knew that if I do it, Mercedes will resent me later"

Quinn blinked as she looked at Sam with amusement.

"There's must be a less drastic way to do it" she said. Sam let out a heavy sigh. He was at loss.

"Is there something that Mercedes loves? I mean – really, _really_ love?" Quinn asked.

"Kids" Sam quickly said as he thought about their conversation on the hill. "She loves kids. Maybe that is the reason she does everything Irene told her to do. She thought of Irene as her own kid" he continued. "I volunteered to give her a few kids of her own but I guess I don't even get the chance to do so now" he said solemnly. Quinn smiled.

"There you have it – the answer to your question"

Sam looked at her, confused.

"You mean impregnate her?" he asked, dumbly. Quinn grimaced.

"Of course not! Give Mercedes what she wants and she'll come to you" she said.

"I don't understand"

"Think about it, Samuel" Quinn said as she put her hand on his shoulder. "If you really want Mercedes, it seems that you need to fight for her. If you fight hard enough, she'll come to you. You can have her but it won't be an easy courtship"

"You're not going to help me figure out what to do, don't you?" he asked. She smiled.

"No. All you have to do is open your eyes and look. You'll be able to see what needs to be done"

Sam took her hand and squeezed it.

"I wish I've met you before Artie did. I'm sure going to give him a run for his money"

Quinn chuckled.

"You won't stand a chance. He picked me as his other half since we were children. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go and tend to my children"

Sam watched as Quinn walked toward the door.

"Quinn, would you like a puppy?" he yelled. Quinn laughed and turned to look at him.

"Send it over!" she yelled back. When he was alone again, Sam thought about what Quinn had said. He knew that there must be a way to _win_ Mercedes back.

* * *

Mercedes was in the kitchen. The stove was running at a full heat. She was busy preparing pastries and cookies for the tea party that Irene going to host the next day and to warm the six irons on top. Mercedes was bending over the heavy ironing table, applying a fluting iron to the delicate ripples in Irene's silk blouse.

The changes in the Irene's social life and Dwayne's thriving business meant that Mercedes' workloads had increased to three times. Irene's popularity had increased her needs for freshly washed and ironed dresses. Mercedes had tried to get Kitty's help with it but that stupid girl had left the iron for too long and burned one of Irene's favourite dress. Due to the incident, Dwayne had specifically instructed for Mercedes to handle Irene's clothing since he couldn't afford to get more new dresses for her. So, Mercedes was trying to keep up Irene's increasing wardrobe and to cook for the many guests that were flooding their house since Irene had said that she couldn't accept many invitations without extending some herself.

Through all the ironing and cooking, she often found her mind drifted to the one afternoon she had spent with Mr. Evans and the day he came into the kitchen and kissed her senselessly. She slammed an iron on a pink skirt. _So much for courting_, she thought. Ever since the day at the pantry, she never heard from him again. Irene often told her on how she saw him on social events after another and often he was seeing in a company of Sugar Motta.

"Irene was right about him" she muttered, trying to make herself grateful for her sister for warning her away from him. However, every time she thought of that afternoon with him, part of her wanted to be with him. She didn't care if he was after her father's money or not.

"Hello"

Mercedes jumped when she heard the voice. She immediately turned and when she saw Sam's face, a smile immediately graced her face - smiling warmly at him. But she quickly caught herself.

"You shouldn't be here, Mr. Evans!" she said sternly, trying to look away from him. She kept on reminding herself about the fact that he was a bad man – who only wanted her for her father's money.

"I know and I want to apologize for barging in like this. But I need help" he said. Mercedes frowned. Remember, Mercedes, he is a scoundrel, she thought.

"Help? I am sure that you can find someone else to help you with whatever it is" she said.

"I need a recipe"

She blinked as she looked at him, frowning. "Recipe?" she asked, confused. _For what? For baking a cake for Ms. Motta? _She chided herself. What he did was not her concern. Sam reached for a small notebook and a pen from his pockets.

"I've been told that you are the best cook in Lima. I thought maybe you know how to bake cookies. Do you know how to bake cookies?" he went to a stool and looked at her. "Mind if I sit down?" he asked.

"No. of course not" she said as she put the iron down. She looked at him. "Why do you need cookies' recipes?"

"I just need it. Now, let's see – you need flour. But how much?" he asked.

"Depends on how many you want to make"

"Enough for six children. So, how much flour?"

"Why can't their mother bakes them?"

"She's sick. How many biscuits can I make with fifty pounds flour? What else do I need? I just need to add some water, right?" he asked.

"Water and flour make glue, not cookies" Mercedes said as she sat across him. Sam hadn't even glance at her. He kept his view on his small book.

"Oh, yeah, glue. I need some yeast, right?" he said as he kept on writing.

"You don't need yeast for cookies. Whose children are they?" she asked, curiously.

"One of the freighters who worked for your father. Your father fired him and the poor man has a sick wife and six children to feed. I helped him got a job hauling corns to Columbus but there's nobody to take care of the kids. So, I thought I would bake something and bring it to them. Now, about these cookies. If you don't use yeast, what else do you use?"

"Did you go to Reverend Rutherford at the church? He always has people ready to help. I am sure that one of the women -,"

She trailed off when he looked at her with a sad look.

"I thought of doing so but I felt responsible for those kids. Maybe if I didn't accept the job that your father offered to me, their father would still have his job. You see, I helped make out the job estimate that got the new contract for your father. So, about the cookies -,"

"Why did my father fire him?"

"The fewer people he has to pay, the more money he makes" Sam explained. "So, what else do you need? Baking soda? Is that something you put in cookies? What about oil? You wouldn't know how to make flapjacks, would you? Do you use yeast in them?"

"No, Mr. Evans. We don't use yeast in making pancakes. We only use yeast to make bread. Mr. Evans, I am going with you!"

"With me?"

"There seem to be six hungry children who need help and I am going with you to give the much needed help"

"I'm not sure you should"

"And why shouldn't I?" she demanded.

"I'm afraid your father might not like it and what about your reputation? Driving twenty miles out of the town alone with me, and you've heard what a womanizer I am" Sam said with a tone of hurt in his words.

"There are six children who need help and it seems like my father is the cause of their hardship. Therefore, it is my duty to help them" she said as she looked at his pretty eyes, handsome feature and his broad shoulders. "My reputation is nothing compared to their hunger and suffering. Therefore, I am going to take my chances with you"

Sam leaned back on the chair and smiled – showing her his special lopsided smile that she'd been dreaming of.

"We all must make a sacrifice at times" he said. Mercedes pushed out the thoughts that she was leaving a load of Irene's dresses yet to be ironed. She stood up and took out a canvas bag. Then, she took all the pastries that she had baked for Irene's upcoming tea party and put everything into the bag. Tomorrow, there would be no pastries for the tea party and the night's supper would be late but she didn't care. All she's been thinking was the six children who were in hunger. She immediately reached for a piece of paper and hurriedly wrote a note for her father.

"I am ready" she said as she looked at Sam. He smiled at her again and distracted her enough so that she didn't see that he had taken the note and put it in his pants' pocket.

"I have a wagonload of food outside so we can leave now" he said. Before someone sees us and stops us, he thought.

"With baking powder?"

"Sure" he said. Truth was, he had no idea what were in the wagon since he just told the grocer to load everything in it without even looking at them.

* * *

Sam had a great deal of pleasure helping Mercedes onto the wagon. Once she was comfortably seated, he flipped the reins of the horses and took off. He held his breath and only let it go once they were as far away from Lima. He reined in the horses and slowed them to a walk.

"How are you, Mercedes?" he asked. Mercedes looked at him. His soft lips that she knew were so soft, his long lashes, his sharp nose and his overall handsome features. She swallowed when her eyes rested on his lips once again. Perhaps she had been hasty with her decision to follow him, she thought. "Alright" she said. Mercedes tried to put a distance between them but it was futile. The way he drove, his legs pull apart caused his thighs touched hers.

"I hear you and your sister has been receiving the invitation for every party in town"

"Irene has, not me"

Sam looked at her, surprised.

"Just yesterday, Miss Cochran asked me why you've been refusing all the invitations that had been sent to you. People are beginning to think that you're ignoring them"

Mercedes was shocked to hear it.

"But I've never receive any invitations. All the invitation that had arrived were for Irene"

"Hmmm" Sam said as he looked straight – on the road.

"Mr. Evans, are you implying that my sister had been hiding those invitations from me?" Mercedes asked.

"Did you get the flowers I sent you?"

"I don't receive any flowers" she said, softly.

"How about the two letters that I sent?" he asked. Somehow he knew the answer when she remained quiet.

"Did you receive the puppy?"

"Puppy?"

Sam nodded. "Cute little Dalmatian puppy. It was returned to hotel with a note saying that you didn't want anything from me, nor that you want to see me ever again"

"I never saw him" Mercedes mumbled.

"I'm sorry. I can't hear you"

"I didn't see the puppy!" she said, louder. Mercedes was confused. Could Irene and her father have been keeping her from knowing about the gifts and the letters? Why would they do that? Irene had said that no words had ever come from Mr. Evans.

"How is Sugar Motta?" she asked out of blue.

"Who?"

"Sugar Motta. A pretty brunette. Her father owns some lands outside of Lima"

"I don't remember meeting her" Sam said. Mercedes frowned.

"You must've met her at one of the social events you've attended this week. The garden party? The box lunch? The church supper?"

Sam was beginning to understand a pattern. _Irene, you conniving bitch!_ He thought silently.

"Since I met you last, I've been working in your father's office – bending over stacks of dirty ledgers. I spent all my evenings at my cousin's house. You can ask Quinn. I've been eating dinner at their place for the whole week and my social life had been consisting of entertaining and playing with the Abram's kids"

Mercedes kept quiet for awhile. Every evening, Irene would come back home with stories on how she met Mr. Evans at various social events and whom he had been with. One of them wasn't telling the truth and her instinct knew that it was her sister. _Maybe she tried to protect me, _Mercedes thought – trying to reassure herself. _Perhaps she was doing what she thought was best for me._

"How are you enjoying Lima, Mr. Evans?" Mercedes asked, trying to make a conversation to fill in the awkward silence.

"I'm enjoying it quite a lot now that you're with me" Sam answered, giving her a smile. Mercedes couldn't say anything in replied. Was he the villain, portrayed by her father and Irene or was he what she saw by her own eyes? She never had any reason to doubt her family before but now, there were things that seemed to confuse her.

* * *

They were some miles out of town when, coming over a hill, Sam looked down at the valley and saw the freight driver's wagon, loaded with corn and still sitting beside the cabin. He knew without a doubt that the man didn't understand his plan. Sam pulled his wagon to halt.

"Mercedes, I need to leave you here. I'm afraid that the driver's wife has some contagious illness and I don't want you to be exposed to it" he said as he came around the wagon to her side.

"Don't be absurd. If you can be exposed to it, so can I"

He didn't listen to her as he used his strong arms to help her down.

"Mr. Evans, I want to go with you. I -,"

He kissed her softly but distractedly. His thumb caressed her cheek.

"Don't worry, darlin'. I'll be back for you as fast as I can" he said. Sam leaped onto the wagon, flicked the reins and left in a cloud of dust. Mercedes stood back, coughing and watched him.

"Darling" she murmured. Nobody had ever called her 'darling' before.

* * *

By the time Sam reached the Puckerman's cabin, he was in rage.

"I'll wring his neck" he murmured as he pulled the horses to a halt and leaped down from the wagon. The front door of the cabin was wide opened and inside, the whole family – a couple and six kids – was quietly eating lunch. The table was loaded with cornbread, ham and vegetable. There was a pie waiting on the side table.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam bellowed, causing all eyes to look at him. "I apologize for my language, ma'am" Sam said as he removed his hat and he walked inside the cabin. "but what are you doing here?" he asked Noah Puckerman once again.

"I was up all night loading corn. I just got up"

Sam glared at him. "You haven't told her, haven't you?"

Noah leaned back in his chair. He was in his dirty longjohns with suspenders over them. He yawned and scratched his bald head. He looked at Sam.

"To tell you the truth, Mr. Evans, I ain't sure I understand it at all"

Sam's anger was gone and it was replaced with embarrassment. He looked at his shoes. Noah's wife – Lauren who was watching stood up.

"Why don't you join us? We've got more than enough. I guess you're the man who found Noah his new job" she said. Sam nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. I am" he said. Now that he thought back about his plan, he started to find it stupid. "But I can't eat. I have someone waiting for me" Sam continued apologetically. Noah, who was still looking confused, looked at his wife.

"He wants you to be sick and he wants the kids to be hungry. Then, he wants to bring a young lady out here and save us all. Don't make any sense to me" he explained, shrugging his shoulders. Lauren frowned for awhile as she went through everything that Noah had said and then a smile lit her face.

"Oh, Puck! He's in love!" she exclaimed. Sam's face turned redder when the kids began to giggle. Lauren looked at Sam, smiling.

"I'd be glad for a few days of rest and if a young lady from town wants to come and save us all, she is more than welcome" she said. She then looked at her children, telling them something and they started to bicker, argued and fighting. Noah looked at his children. The girls were started to pull each other's hairs, the boys were rolling on the floor and the babies were bawling. He then looked at Sam.

"You sure you want to court a woman?" he yelled over the noise. Lauren pushed Noah aside.

"Go on and get your young lady! We'll be the neediest family she ever meets!" Sam nodded and immediately ran to his wagon. He didn't want to stage the farce but he knew that it was the only way he could get her away from her manipulative family.

* * *

When he returned to Mercedes, he saw that she was sitting quietly in a corner. Together, they drove back to the Puckerman's cabin. By the time they reached the cabin, Sam was on the verge of wanting to confess everything about his scheme – that Mrs. Puckerman wasn't ill and with the job that he had helped Noah to get, the family now had more money than the time Noah was walking for Dwayne Jones. However, the minute they entered the cabin, he was glad he did what he had done. All of Puckerman's six kids were sitting with tears stained cheek, looking sad and forlorn. Lauren was on the bed, looking sick and ill. There were no traces of food and Noah and his wagon were nowhere in sight. As soon as she saw the scenario in front of her, Mercedes immediately took over. Within minutes, she had unloaded the wagon, the stove going and food cooking. Sam knew that Mercedes was very good with chores and he had an idea of how good she was in managing the house but that didn't prepare him for the sight in front of him. She was in her element and now, out of the influence of her dreadful family, she blossomed. Here, there was no Irene telling her that she was fat and old. Her father wasn't there to tell her to be grateful with what she had. All that in the cabin were eight people that thought Mercedes was wonderful. Sam noticed that if Mercedes loved children, it couldn't be compared to how much children loved her. All Puckerman kids seemed to be mesmerized by her. Within an hour of their arrival, all six kids seemed to be talking to her at once. The youngest girl brought her doll for Mercedes to repair, the boys were bragging about their exploits, and the girls wanted to know all about the young men in town. When Mercedes told them that Sam was the relative of the handsome Kevin Abrams, the attention shifted to him and he was faced with many questions from the girls.

Mercedes also took care of Lauren, bringing her a plate of food on a tray and fluffing her pillow, making her comfortable more than she ever been in her life. Sam sat back in the bustle, watched and participated once in a while or when he was needed. He had never more at home in his life. He held the youngest Puckerman in his lap and watched as Mercedes was rolling pie dough while helping one of the boys with his homework. Sam looked across the head of the child and exchanged a smile with Mercedes. This was all he ever wanted in his life. He wanted to have a place with a wife and some kids, a place where it was full with love – a place where he surrounded with his loved ones. That was all he ever needed in his life.

Mercedes looked across the table at Sam, sitting there with the little kid on his laps. At that moment, she knew that he never lied to her. Everything that he had told her was the truth. If he said that he liked her, she knew that he had meant it. If he said that he hadn't spent time with other woman, it meant that he hadn't. She smiled at him and she realized that she would like to keep smiling for the rest of her life. By the time Mercedes had finished cooking food that would last for few days, bathed the youngest two children and gotten all the kids to sleep, it was around 9 o'clock and the outside was fully dark.

"I must get back to my family" she told Sam in the quiet stillness of the cabin. "But I hate to leave Mrs. Puckerman alone"

Sam said nothing. Instead, he took her hand and led her outside into the cool, clean air. Leaving the warmth of the house made her shiver. Noticing it, Sam pulled her against his chest and wrapped his strong arms around her.

"It'll be winter soon. Winter and snow and blazing fire and -,"

"Christmas" she said. Sam smiled.

"I know what I want for Christmas" he said, nuzzling her neck.

"Sam…"

"It's nice to know that I am finally graduated from being Mr. Evans"

Mercedes leaned back against him. Here and now, standing so close to this man, she could believe that the moment could last forever.

"I must go home" she said but she made no effort of leaving his embrace. Sam clasped his arms around her waist tighter.

"There's no lantern for the wagon and there is no sight of the moon. We'll have to stay here tonight" he said, kissing her shoulder and nuzzling her neck once again. "I guess you'll be safe with all these chaperones"

Mercedes turned around in his arms. Their eyes met and a smile appeared on both of their faces.

"I'm not sure I want to be safe" she said, teasingly. She could feel him draw in his breath and the next thing she knew, he was kissing her. The kiss was deep, tender and lovingly – conveying all of their emotions toward each other. They only stopped kissing when they heard giggles coming from the porch.

"Looks like we have audience" he whispered as he nibbled her ear.

"So it seems" she said. She was reluctant to release him, but the giggles came again, so Mercedes dropped her arms which had been around Sam's neck. He took her hands and they walked back into the cabin. There was a sound of children scurrying into the cabin ahead of them.

"Our kids behave like that and I'll smack their backsides" Sam said. Mercedes laughed.

"I can't even imagine you striking anyone, least of all a child" she said. Sam smiled.

"Maybe not. Maybe I'll just put our bedroom on one of the house while the kids' rooms are on the other side of the house" he said. Once inside the house, he kissed her once again before he went to sleep with the boys while she went to join the girls. It was much later – when she was lying beside the girls that Mercedes realized that they've been talking about their marriage as though it was a foregone conclusion. She went to sleep with a big smile on her face.

* * *

A/N: Hello, beautiful people who've been reading and following this fic! I am so sorry for the long wait! I was out of net for the last couple of weeks! So, I do hope the length of this chapter make up for the wait! I'll try to update this fic as fast as I can but sometimes RL can be a bitch and get in the way. I dedicated this chapter to all of you who patiently wait for the update. Mercedes had made her two wishes in this chapter and her last wish will be in the next update and I promise you that you will want to kill her father and her sister in the next update. But, fear not! The ball is approaching and she'll get some help! So, till the next update!

Thank you for reading,

Love, Awa xoxoxo


End file.
